The Hall
by KiParid
Summary: Metaphysic and Theological undertones support the science fiction story line of a young man, Robert, who is pulled into a classic battle of good and evil. Though the devil is prevalent in the deteriorating situation, Robert comes to understand the source of evil is from man, and not the Devil. Robert, is given access to a realm of memories struggles to protect his friends


The HALL

by Ki Parid

 **AWAKENING**

Chapter 1

There was a white flash and a popping sound, and he was suddenly aware of the emptiness around him. A deafening silence. He felt, no sensed, he was moving but could not determine the direction; up, down, forward or backwards? There was no air against his skin to sense the direction. "What the hell?" he thought. Then he remembered he had been here a couple of times before. Floating alone in the emptiness. He now knew he was dreaming. "Well, here I am again", he thought to himself. He has had many dreams, but these were strange. He felt as though he was awake, but there was nothing like a normal dream. No scenery, no people, no weird occurrences or situations. Nothing to be remembered when he woke up except the complete emptiness and the feeling of drifting

"So, I'll just enjoy the ride", he said to himself. "Let's see, what do I have to do at work today? I'll have to finish the design of the main support and let the computer do the stress analysis to determine..." he sensed he had come to a stop. It was as though he were standing in a dark tunnel. "This is new," he said as he turn to look to his right. Just ahead of him, about 10 feet way he saw a very fuzzy image of himself sitting or squatting. His image had yellowish hue, very blurry. He moved closer to get a better look.

He was definitely sitting at a desk or table, but whatever it was, he could not see it. He was wearing what he normally wore to work, blue jeans, t-shirt, sneakers. However, he appeared to be much skinnier then what he thought he was actually; a bit on the bony side. He had his glasses on, so he was definitely at work on his computer. He was moving his hands as though he were working at his computer, typing on the key board and moving the mouse.

He moved in a little closer to get a better look. Not knowing if he could be seen, he approached from the rear and looked over the right shoulder. His other self was feverishly typing away at an invisible keyboard, and then suddenly stopped and looked up. Unrecognizable images flashed up in the distance in the direction his seated-self was looking, and it quickly spun around and looked over its own left shoulder. "Fuck!" his seated-self said. He jumped back away from his image. He heard that. He actually heard what his other self had said.

He too looked over towards were his seated-self was staring, and again he saw blurred images. The more he looked though, the more other images began to take shape. The deeply colored red image was the potted floor plant that was in the isle just down from his work pod, the other shape was moving toward them quickly. It was definitely a person though its color was reddish-orange with a green shadowy affect as it moved. However, no real features could be seen.

Stepping backwards to put distance between himself and what was going on, he looked over to his seated-self and now found it had risen from the seated position and was turned towards the approaching entity.

"What are you doing here!" a loud, deep, masculine voice boomed all round him. Frightened by the voice, he found himself suddenly thrust away from the scene back into the black oblivion. "You do not belong here!" The voice resonated all around him, but the source of the voice felt far away. He began to panic, and wanted to scramble away. Then in a calmer tone, the voice continued, "Come now, you needn't be frightened. We need to discuss what you have done."

While the voice still seemed to be coming from all sides, the source still seemed to be far away. It sounded as if it had come from a younger person, but he could not see anyone else around him. He ventured to say something. "I do not know what you are talking about? I do not know what is going on".

"Now, now, I can help you get back." The voice got deeper as it seemed to come closer. "If you are not careful, you'll never make it back alive." The voice said smoothly.

"What do you mean alive?" he thought. Maybe this was not a dream. He suddenly realized just how alone and vulnerable he was. First, he watched himself type something, and now a strange voice from out of nowhere is threatening him.

"What is it that you want?" He asked as he looked around in the dark to find the source. "What do you want from me?"

"Just keep talking like you are now." The strange voice said slowly and calmly. "That's it, just keep talking, and I'll find you." Then in an encouraging way, it said, "I'll help you."

Something was not right about its tone. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and all of his senses were working overtime trying to get any information from the dark void.

"Just keep talking, and then we can finish this". The source of the voice felt much closer now. What did it mean, finish. Something cold touched the back of his neck, and he let out a muffled whimpering sound.

"Ah, there you are... Robert." The deep voice said with much satisfaction.

Without warning, he began feeling pressure from all sides. It was like being trapped in a pressure vessel with no way out. As the pressure increased, he felt his energy draining away. He opened his eyes, and saw swirls of light moving away from him above his head. Most of the streaks were red, but there were some orange and yellow. He reached out above him trying to find a way to get to them, but he felt himself falling away down deeper into the abyss that surrounded him. His energy was draining quickly, and it felt as though every bone joint was being twisted. He could not talk. He could only pray for the pressure and the pain to end.

"Not much longer now, Robert. Soon the pain will be gone and you'll feel better", the voice said calmly.

He felt like he was not able to breathe as the pressure around his ribs continued to increase. He did not have the strength to fight it any longer. Letting go, he relaxed and felt as though he were floating to the bottom of a pool. Like many years ago at Summer Camp, when he was fooling around on the 3 meter diving board and misjudged a dive. Hitting the water hard with his back, the air was knocked out of him. He remembered sinking to the bottom of the pool. Then suddenly, he was there in the pool with his younger self; motionless at the bottom. He remembered the pain from his back hitting the water. He then saw his young self snap out of the daze, plant his feet on the bottom of the pool and thrust himself towards the surface. Desperate to follow, he did the same.

There was a pop and a flash of white light, and he found himself flailing around on his bed in his apartment. Gasping for breath, he scrambled to his knees. It was over. He collapsed to the bed, landing on his right side. He was cold and wet from the sweat that covered his body. He blindly searched for his blanket, but could not find it. Opening his eyes, he saw the piercing red numbers of the clock on his night stand showing it was 5:13 AM. The nightmare was over.

Chapter 2

Three months earlier...

It was not so much the dripping of the water that awoke her, but the echoes through the cave that amplified the splash of each little drop. She laid there more asleep than awake, and she began to anticipate the next drop. They were sporadic and unpredictable, but consistent enough to know the next one was coming. Focusing intently with her ears, she yearned for that next splash followed by the echoes of sound as they work their way further back into darkness of the cave. Slash! Without warning it came. It actually made her heart jump. Now the blood was pumping. She began to stir, and realized just how much she hated the sound of the dripping water.

She had been asleep for quite some time, and judging by the moisture in the air, she reasoned that the rainy season must have come to her jungle home. The thought of the rainy season jolted her mind into high gear. "That could not be possible", she thought to herself as she rolled from her side onto her back, and lay quietly.

"Damn Saria, how could you let yourself lose track of time like this". With making as little noise as possible, she began to move her legs and arms to loosen the joints and to get the blood circulating. Listening intently, she needed to assure herself she was alone before leaving bed of blankets. After several minutes, confident she was alone; she slowly rose to her feet using the walls and larger stones around her to steady herself. This was a slow process. Every joint hurt and every muscle ached.

Finally, standing erect, she found she was not ready to take the first step. Slowly she squatted to a seated position, as she searched for the stone she just used to get herself upright. Once she sat herself comfortably on the rock, she smoothed her hand over the wrinkles in her old skirt she was wearing. Her clothes have definitely seen better days. She was sure her cotton skirt and jacket were well dated since she had stolen them from the market place many years ago, and the sleeveless shirt had been hand washed against stones so many times that the once colorful Mexican pattern has nearly faded away from the now thin cloth.

She began to think about the task ahead. For many years, she had taken the journey to the temple complex. The path etched in her mind. There was a time the trip would only have taken her a couple of hours, but as she had aged and her body has slowed, it would now take her nearly a day to reach the complex. For now though, she needed to take that first step.

Before rising again, she tried stretching the soreness from her muscles. Pulling her arms behind her back, she stuck her legs out straight and bent to touch her toes. She began to feel the life come back into her body. After another long breath, she rose and began to make her way to the entrance of the cave. There was a slight curve to the left, and she could see the daylight reflecting off the walls and ceiling. Reaching the entrance, she inhaled deeply to take in the fresh air of the forest. Its sweet aroma filled her lungs and triggered memories of better times long ago: times when the children from neighboring villages used to seek her out to watch her "magic". A smile came across her face as she remembered them giggling and laughing as she taught them simple games and introduced them to some of her animal friends.

But those days were gone now. The children she sees today are more like their parents, rude and obnoxious. She is now known as the 'Crazy Witch of the Forest'. Someone they throw stones at when she is seen around the river. She does not remember when the change occurred; whether it was sudden or subtle, but there was a definite change in the heart of the local people that lived around her.

"Change is not always good", she mumbled to herself. "I wish I had been allowed to leave long ago". Nevertheless, she knew she could not. She was the curator during this dark period, and there must be a reason she was still here. Someone will probably need her guidance, and she hoped today would be the day she would find out who it is.

She stepped into the clearing at the mouth of the cave, and found a spot where the sun shone through the canopy far above. With her eyes closed she let the sunlight beat upon her eyelids. With her face square to the sun, she slowly raised her arms from her sides until her hands met above her head. Inhaling deeply, she held her breath, then slowly exhaled. As she slowly lowered her arms, she heard the ruffling noise behind her.

Slowly, she began to turn around and opened her eyes. There, perched upon an outcropping of rocks just above the left side of the cave entrance was a large brown eagle. The bird squared its beak at her, unfolded its massive wings to their full six-foot wingspan. Looking like an angry mother protecting her young, it leaned forward at her and screech a bone chilling scream that could be heard for miles.

"Don't you dare ruffle your feathers at me Uriel", she said with a scowl as she pointed her index finger at the annoyed bird. "The last thing I need is to be yelled at by you". Tucking its wings back tight against its body, the bird looked away from her and squawked, in a disapproving manner. Seeming quite annoyed, it adjusted its footing and leered at her with its left eye.

"Nothing stopped you from whining at the entrance of the cave to wake me up. You could have screamed and whined like a baby. I would have gotten up." She turned and began to walk away and mumbled, "Damn baby, afraid to come into an empty cave." The bird clucked in disgust.

"Ok. Now we need to get things moving", she said walking away from the bird. Holding up her hands, she began counting off the things that needed to get done. "I have to washed and changed, gather the things I'll need for my trip, gather food for the trip, get food to eat now...behind her came a thud.

Quickly, she spun around to find a dead spider monkey on the ground between her and Uriel. It was a young monkey, which appeared to have died by a broken neck.

"Well, thank you Uriel, even though you can be a puss, you can certainly be a sweetheart." Uriel bobbed his head with approval.

"Now I'll have to skin and cook the damn thing though", she said shaking her head looking down on the gift from the bird. With a loud screech of disgust, Uriel jumped and took flight. His massive wings moved gracefully as he maneuvered around the branches of the trees and the wall of the cave. Looking up, Saria quickly screamed out her last request. "I'll be leaving soon. Please find Reme and bring him to the complex with you!" Uriel threaded his way through the tree limbs, and was quickly out of sight.

Moving quickly, she gathered some dry wood, brush and leaves into a fire pit she had made a long time ago. Using a piece of flint that she had left by the pit, she struck a few sparks to ignite a fire Once a healthy flame had taken hold, she tossed in some sizable flat rocks and added more wood. Returning to the cave, she grabbed her carry bag, and gathered some of her belongings and added them to the bag. There were only a few clothes, blankets, and a knife with a six-inch blade. She brought everything out of the cave and set it next to the fire.

Returning to the area in front of the cave, she removed the knife from her bag and began preparing the catch Uriel had brought to her. She separated the meat, and discarded the rest. After cutting the meat into thin slices, she used her knife and a long stick to dig the flat rocks out of the burning embers of the fire. After aligning the rocks around the perimeter of the fire, she laid the thin strips of meat on the rocks to cook. With a sizzle, the meat began to cook releasing an aroma that made her stomach ache.

Allowing the meat to cook, she got up and searched the area around her for some additional food she could take with her. She gathered some fruits, nuts, and roots she had eaten in the past. She could smell the meat cooking on the fire, and she knew others animals in the forest would smell it as well. She quickly returned to the fire, and removed the cooked meat from rocks. She ate a few of the strips, then wrapped the remainder in a cloth, and stowed it in the bag along with the goods she had collected from the forest. Finally, with the large stick, she spread the embers out to help disperse the heat so that the fire would burn out quickly without getting out of control. Satisfied the fire was fading, she set out on her journey leaving the security of the cave behind her.

For the remainder of the day, she kept to the path that had been established many years before. It ran along a fresh water stream that provided water for her journey. It was late in the afternoon when she arrived at the point where the path ended at the northern edge of the Chichen Itza temple complex. Tourists were still wondering around, so she found a quiet spot behind some bushes to wait until the tourists and vendors left.

Through the bushes and trees, she could see glimpses the main pyramid, El Castillo. To her left was the Temple of the Warriors and just past it and out of her sight was the Group of One Thousand Columns. Her destination was the El Caracol Observatory, which was the structure that was the furthest south in the complex. From her position, the forest beyond the Group of One Thousand Columns obscured it from her view. As evening set in, the Curators of the complex began restricting access to the monuments, and the tourist and vendors slowly began leaving the area returning to the busses and cars that brought them there.

Once she was sure that everyone had left, she existed her hiding place and walked south through the grounds with the pyramid to her right, and the Temple of the Warriors to her left. A worn footpath led her behind the pyramid to reveal another path through the forest to the southern part of the complex. A short distance down this southern path and El Caracol began to come into view to her left. As she exited the tree covered path into an open area, she looked up as she heard a flutter. Uriel glided overhead from behind and flew up and over the ruin. As she approached, she had to stop and take in the majestic beauty of the old structure as the evening sun cut through the top of the trees to her left.

El Caracol is a large structure with its Grand Staircase that runs left of center up its front. To the right of the staircase protrudes the first tier of the ruin that was just above the top her head. At the top to the Grand Staircase, is the circular building with a deteriorated domed roof. This building is the observatory, and has a circular staircase within it that leads to the top dome. This circular staircase gives the ruin its name, El Caracol - The Snail. Openings throughout the dome ceiling and walls of the building align to features in the night skies. It will be through these features that she will learn whether her final task it at hand, or whether she will have to continue to wait.

She approached the Grand Staircase, but thought twice about climbing them. Instead, she decided to sit on the third step to rest a while. Uriel had circled around, and landed softly on the corner of the first tier to the left of where she sat.

"I just need to catch my breath", she said to Uriel. "This had better be the last time we need to go through all of this. We are both getting too old".

The bird clucked with approval. Uriel impatiently moved about and his talons scratched on the stone surface. When she looked up, their eyes met, and Uriel bobbed his head in a gesture to move her along.

"Alright, alright! Some patients please. The sky is clear, so I should have no trouble this time reading the stars." Uriel just stared at her, and did not move muscle.

Putting her hands on her knees, she leaned forward to get to a standing position. Slowly she began to climb the steps, complaining the entire way.

"Damn bird. Probably the most demanding and irritating creature in this whole entire wretched forest. Doesn't speak a word, but has never stopped it from pushing me around."

Once at the top of the staircase, she entered the circular structure and climbed the stairway to the top. Time had taken its toll on the building. Part of the roof was missing and cracks have appeared along the walls and ceiling of the structure. The sun had set long ago, and the sky was filled with a bright crescent moon. Studying the stars above her, she located the constellation Draco out of one of the windows facing north. Thuban and 13 of its other stars were clearly visible.

She stared at the constellation intently for several minutes trying to identify if anything seemed out of place. For many years she had relied on reading the stars to determine when events were put into action. This time though, she knew it was Draco that held the key. It was through a dream she saw the patterns. 16 yellowish dots that aligned as the constellation of Draco and a 17th dot, a blue dot, which appeared in different locations in each of the dreams. Seven different locations in fact. That is how she knew this was how she would be told. The seven different locations represent the seven chosen ones. She searched intently, especially around the head of Draco.

In the dream, the sequence always started in the head area, and then worked their way throughout the constellation. From what was revealed to her through the dream, she knew the first three were the strongest of the chosen. Therefore, she hoped she would be working with one of them. All of the chosen were unaware of whom they were or what they would need to do. She was not even aware of what they would be chosen to do, but she hoped it would be to replace her. Her purpose was to be their guide, to help them learn their way, and to keep them from breaking any of the laws.

Frustration mounted. There were no blue stars twinkling anywhere around the head or wing areas. Then it caught her eye. Down at the base of the belly was a small star that seemed bluish. She looked away, closed her eyes, and rubbed them with her hands. Opening her eyes again, she stared at the ground taking in the darkness. When she felt her vision was clear she looked towards the belly of Draco again. After staring into the darkness, the sky seemed brighter. This time the blue star was clearly visible at the bottom of the constellation.

For the next phase of her task, she would need to match the location of the blue star in relation to the constellation. Taking the bag from her shoulder, she remove a large pane of thick glass, about ten inches square, and placed it in the window through which she stared. Bending over, she spit on the floor and mixed in some dirt to make a thick paste of mud. Collecting some of the mud onto the tip of her finger, she returned to looking out the window through the glass pane. She adjusted her position until Draco filled the pane, and dab a small amount of the mud onto the pane to capture the position of each of the stars of the constellation as well as the blue star.

After capturing all of the stars' positions, she carried the glass pane to the base of the ruin to prepare for the final step. Midway down the Grand Staircase of El Caracol, she could see that Uriel was watching her descend the staircase. While holding up the glass pane she shouted to him, "Time to get to work, Uriel! I don't know the specifics, but one of the seven has been awakened!" A few steps before reaching the bottom, she could begin to see around the corner on which Uriel was perched. Just as she left the last step, she could make out the slight swish of a tail and the rear end of a mule came into view.

"Now there an ass I haven't seen in a while!" As she walked by, she patted the right haunch of the mule. "Hello Reme. It is good to see you. You look well!" Still chewing some greens he had picked along base of the ruin, Reme raised his head toward Saria and gave her a snort. "Yes, indeed. It seems a trip here has finally paid off. It is time for us to get to work."

"Uriel, your eye sight is better than mine in the dark, could you please find me some dried twigs or brush; something to burn".

While Uriel scoured the grounds from above, Saria settled on the ground just in front of the Grand Stairway, and dumped the contents of her bag beside her. Picking through the items, she pulled out a piece of flint, a roll of cloth about twelve inches long that was tied in the middle with a string, and her knife. She collected the remaining item, and put them back in her bag just as Uriel returned with a beak full of twigs and a paper bag.

"Excellent", Saria said arranging the item into a neat pile and breaking the twigs into smaller pieces. She struck the flint against her knife, and nurtured the spark that landed onto the paper into a healthy small flame. She tended the fire for a little to ensure it would burn thoroughly, then turned to untied the string around the rolled cloth. Unrolling the cloth revealed seven pockets sewn onto the fabric. None where arranged in any specific order, but each pocket had sixteen yellow dots arranged as the Draco constellation with the blue dot in separate locations on each pocket. Holding the glass pane, she maneuvered it until the pattern of yellow dots matched those on the pockets. She then identified the pocket that had the closest match with the blue dot, and pulled out a tuff of hair from within the pocket.

By now, the fire had dwindled, and both Uriel and Reme had settled in close to Saria. Saria removed her jacket, and put it over her head. "Well, here it goes," she said to them. She leaned over the embers from the fire, and set the jacket as a tent over herself and the embers. She blew some air on the embers to heat them up, and then placed the tuff of hair on the embers. As the hair began to smolder, she inhaled the smoke deeply. Though the smell of the burning hair was making her sick, she continued to breathe it in deeply.

She began to feel a tingling sensation on her cheeks, and she knew she was ready. Moving back away from the embers, she settled into a lotus position and closed her eyes. With a flash a bright white light, and a popping sensation, she found herself looking at the memories of a middle-aged man standing in a room of a house holding a small baby. She could feel the joy of the man as he held the boy out away from him, but she could also feel his despair. The thoughts that were in his mind were troublesome, and she began to get over whelmed by his thoughts. Such pain. Such confusion. "Oh John", she said sadly. "I am so sorry I was not there to you out your confusions".

She moved closer to the baby in John's arms. Though the child was just a mere image, she reached out and touched its head. As she did so, she was pulled into the child's thoughts and memories. Following them along quickly, she watched his thoughts and dream as he quickly grew though his life. Like watching a movie in super high speed until it suddenly stopped. He was a young man, about 23 years old, sitting in a room in front of a computer. "Well Robert. I have your line now. I will be seeing you in person soon."

With a pop and a bright flash, she opened her eyes to see Uriel and Reme casually looking upon her.

"Well boys, we have our work cut out for us. Robert, the son of John, is of little experience. There is much I must learn about him as we travel."

She collected her things, and stood up. "However, during my quick read, I did learned he is in America; Nevada to be exact. Therefore, Uriel, we will be traveling north."

Walking past the mule, she reached up and patted the right side of its stomach. "Reme and I must first return to my cave to pack a few things for the trip. Uriel, meet us at the cave early tomorrow morning, then we will get on our way."

She watched as Uriel took flight. She then smiled at Reme, "Come on Reme, let's get moving."

Chapter 3

Present time

He had been in the shower for at least fifteen minutes, and had not touch the soap or shampoo. Staring at the wall, the hot water had faded to a lukewarm as it beat down on the nape of his neck were he had felt the cold grip. What had just happened? Was it just a dream? He thought about the cold grip on his neck again, and chills ran up his spine. It was so real. He could still feel the grip and the pain from the pressure on his body.

Suddenly he realized the shower water was not warming his chills, snapping him from his dazed confusion. Quickly, he did the best he could to finish rinsing himself in the cold water. Wrapping a towel around himself, he walked from the bathroom to the kitchen to brew some coffee. The clock on the coffee machine said 6:01. He was wake two hours earlier than normal. Unconsciously, he began to drum the fingers of his left hand on the counter. He was a late riser and often worked later than most of his colleagues. Not knowing what to do with himself, he figured he would take his time getting dressed, and maybe stop somewhere along his way to work to get himself something to eat.

Watching the coffee brew, he got the sensation he was not alone. The hairs on the back of his neck began to tingle again. He spun around quickly, but no one was there. His nerves were peaking, his heart began to race, and all of his senses began working overtime. The sensation was so real; as if someone was standing right in front of him. He tried to calm himself but he had an urge to run. He was now afraid to be in his own apartment. He needed to get dressed and get out of there. Quickly he walked towards the bedroom. Looking from side to side as he moved through the living room he went quickly down the hall to his bedroom. Once there, he shut the door to barricade himself from the invisible intruder. Then he realized that whoever was watching him could be in the bedroom or bathroom. He quickly open the door, and again felt as though someone was about to touch him from behind.

He spun around, but again no one was there. That was it! He had to get out of there. Quickly he got dressed. Tossing the towel onto the bed, he jumped into a pair of underwear, and then put the jeans that were on the chair beside the dresser. Fumbling for the deodorant on the dresser he noticed in the mirror that his hair was still disheveled from being toweled dried. He was in need of a comb, but he dared not go into the bathroom. Instead, he ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out. Not taking the time to put on his socks, he jumped into his sneakers, grabbed a t-shirt from a drawer of the dresser and went back to the kitchen.

He was tucking the shirt into his pants as he reached for the coffee machine. Instead of pouring himself a cup, he just shut off the machine and left the kitchen. He grabbed the sweatshirt off the chair in the living room, collected his phone, wallet and keys, and then slammed the door behind him as he left the apartment.

Quickly he moved down the three flights of steps to the front entrance of his building. Stopping at the front door, he put on his sweatshirt but left it unzipped. He moved his hand towards the round knob of the door, and then paused as he looked through the window of the door. Even though it was two hours earlier than normal, he was surprised to see the street busy with people on their way to work. Some were standing idly by, while others walked at a quick pace with intent to get to their destination. Today though, the ones standing around idly made him nervous. What was their purpose? The street his apartment building was on was not a main thoroughfare. What were they standing around waiting for?

There was one an elderly man across the street leaning against the light pole. Even though the man's back was to him, he could see the man's reflection in the shop's window that he faced. Another suspicious person was the young man leaning on the railing of the building next door with the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head. Occasionally the he would gaze over his shoulder to look back at the door Robert was peering through. Robert began to get nervous. The man's face seemed lifeless and drawn by the shadow that was cast by the hood. Suddenly, without warning, something touched the back of his left shoulder. He spun around quickly and jumped back against the wall. His heart was racing, and he quickly brought his hands up to defend himself.

"Robert my dear boy, are you alright?" Before him stood Mrs. Ryan. She was the elderly widow who lived on the first floor in apartment 1C. She stood all of four feet eight inches high. Dressed in a long casual dress and wearing a light overcoat, her gray hair had been neatly put up into a bun. She had her shinny back handbag securely held in the nook of her left arm while she was patting her chest with her right hand.

"Good Lord, I didn't mean to scare you so," she said looking him over.

"I'm okay." he said, surprised to hear the shakiness in his voice. "I did not hear you come up behind me."

"Well, I did say hello. And for goodness sakes with my stiff knees, lord knows I'm not tip-toeing around like some Ninja fighter. Clearly, you were deep in thought about something."

"No, nope, just looking around before I head out", he said sheepishly.

"Oh, I know," she said with a broad smile, "It's that cute little brunette that works in the coffee shop across the street. You shouldn't be so shy," she said patting him on the chest.

"Oh, well, no, no, that wasn't it at all," he said shyly.

"Ah, huh", Mrs. Ryan said with a giggle as she opened the door. "Well, you have yourself a nice day." She said as she passed through the door, then waving her hand to the stores across the street she looked back at him to say, "Go ahead over and get some coffee and say hello to that little cutie." With a wink, she turned and walk down the three steps to the sidewalk in front of the apartment building.

A flush of embarrassment washed over him, not for Mrs. Ryan's insinuations about the brunette, but for the silly way he has been behaving. Even though saying hello to the cute brunette would be a mountain to climb for him. There are not many girls interested in a skinny, geeky twenty-six year old who works on a computer all day. He was plain vanilla, and as he opened the door to go outside he was convinced no one had the slightest interest in his existence. Stepping down onto the sidewalk, he turned right and headed to the bus stop at the corner. Rather than walk the ten blocks to the corporate headquarters of Raythian Inc., the bus will get him there quicker so that he can get a jump on his day.

Chapter 4

Steven walked quickly down the hallway after leaving the elevator that had taken him to the top floor of Raythian Corporate Center. As a tall man in his mid-forties, he still moved his 235 pounds with the quickness of a teenager. He had been at work since 4:00 this morning, after receiving a phone call at home jolting both he and his wife awake at 3:15 AM. As the VP of Information Systems for the North American Operations, it was his ass on the line when there was a system failure. This time however, it was worse. There had been a security breach, and the President of the company, Glenn Steiner the son of the founder and majority shareholder of Raythian, has been in the office since 3:10 AM expecting an answer.

He entered into the outer offices of the Presidential Suite and walked straight back to Glenn's office. Knowing that no one else would be in the office at 6:30 AM, he approached Glenn's office and looked through the full length pane of glass beside the office door. The blinds were open slightly, and he could see Glenn intently working on some paper work at his desk. He tapped on Glenn's door and gave a slight nod as Glenn looked up from his desk. As Glenn waved him in, he suddenly realized the pounding of his heart in his chest, and that he needed to take a deep breath before entering the office.

"Well it's been three hours, what do we know", Glenn said calmly as he finished some notes on the papers he was reviewing.

"It is not clear how much information has been exported, and it is also not clear the destination," Steven said, as he looked squarely down into Glenn's eyes. He and Glenn have known each other for years and at one time, several years back, Glenn worked in Steven's group as an analyst for the Financial Department.

"Jesus Christ Steven! What do you fuckin' know? Anything!" Rising from his chair Glenn's patience was thin and he expected a lot more from Steven after three hours into this situation.

"You know I know my way around your organization, and believe me the last thing you want me doing is turning desks over on your floor! Now quit the shit and start talking." He plant both hand firmly on his desk, and had no issue looking up into Steven's eyes. Though Glenn was not a tall man and only stood five feet eight inches, Steven towered an additional eight inched above him. Unfortunately for Steven, Glenn was never intimidated by height and always loved to prove the bigger they are the harder they fell.

Leaning forward to Steven, Glenn continued before Steven could take a breadth. "Any information that leaves this building through unauthorized channels will have the Feds climbing up my ass. In fact, I would bet they're getting into their cars as we speak and heading over here right now. So, tell me what you know and it better be good."

"Okay. The information has been packaged into small five hundred kilo-byte packets, and routed through different computers within the organization before being sent to a number of different servers on the web. Since the packets are small, and over sixty computers within the organization have been used, this has gone on undetected by our security protocol. The only consistent item that we have been able to trace is that these packets have been sent between the hours of 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM, but at inconsistent intervals within that time."

As he talked, Steven began to relax a bit and allowed the facts of the situation be his support. He felt this was a good point to stop and allow Glenn to begin his questioning. One thing he knew for certain was to not give too much information to Glenn. He knew Glenn preferred to get the information at his own pace so that he could assemble it and narrow in on the gaps.

"How many computers in this complex have been used?"

"So far we have been able to identify about sixty computers that have sent packets of this size during the time slot mentioned", Steven said confidently becoming more relaxed since Glenn's anger was beginning to gnaw at the issue rather than him.

"This has been going on for a couple of months? How did we find it now?"

"The computer sending the information denied priority access to a mandatory security upgrade that was occurring during the off-hours last night. When denied, the protocol for the batch program is to interrogate the denying process to determine the best way to suspend its operation until the upgrade was complete. The process that was interrupted was an unapproved executable transmitting these packets through the video channels of our web server."

Glenn sat back down in his chair, and used his right hand to rub his chin. "Where was the information sent to?"

"The log files show many different addresses. We continue to follow the trail, but it seems the packets have been deposited onto several public computers. We assume there is a Troll program from the receiving entity that goes around picking up the packets after they had been deposited." Steven, feeling much relaxed now, sat down across from Glenn and began to synchronize himself to Glenn's thoughts in the hopes to anticipate the next question.

"Have you identified whether there is a single source, and if so, how is it manipulating the other computers around the business?"

Steven's answer was simple, "No." He dare not elaborate any further. Anything else said beyond this response would be speculation. He knew that if he did not have a fact, he did not have a suitable answer for Glenn.

"Fuck! That is not acceptable!" Glenn shouted while moving closer to Steven. Thankfully, there was a desk between them, Steven thought to himself. Though Glenn was smaller, he was a much more intimidating person than Steven was. He was a bit on the stockier side and known to have been able to throw the weights around in the corporate gym. His black hair, brown eyes, and darker complexion gave him the look of being of Mediterranean descent, but he was 100% 5th generation Irish. His father was a shrewd and demanding businessman, and Glenn was becoming a splitting image of his father.

Glenn picked up his phone, dialed an inner-office 4 digit extension and looked Steven squarely in the eye. "Andrew..."

Andrew was a 10 year veteran that worked for Steven. Instantly Steven's began scrambling, trying to anticipate where this was going.

Glenn continued, "... do you have a sample of the packet? Is it still encrypted? What did you use to crack it?" After a long pause and without a blink or breaking his stare at Steven he ended his call with "Good. Send it to me now," and he hung up the phone.

Moving back in his chair, he calmly said to Steven, "It is good to see you and your people are all over this".

On the laptop in front of him, Glenn type a few commands and the white board on the wall to the right of his desk displayed the screen image of his computer. Getting up from his desk, he moved towards the board. "Your boys downstairs have decrypted the file while you were up here stalling. Unfortunately, they do not know what kind a file it is."

Getting up from his seat, Steven moved beside Glenn and watched him use the touch screen action of the board to bring the file up from his email. On the display was a series of numbers with periodic breaks between the numbers.

"Well, your boys have been analyzing the data and are certain that it is not encrypted documents, video or audio information. And we definitely know it is not financial data", Glenn said in a thoughtful way.

"How do you know that?" Steven asked curiously.

"Because you told me this had been going on for months, and financial data would only take a few transfers to provide damaging information." After a slight pause, Glenn turned to Steven and said, "It's an Engineering file, most likely drawings! Aw shit, they're dumping one of our designs!"

Glenn turned to return to his desk, and Steven's cell phone rang. "Hello." Steven said after quickly answering it on the first ring. "Yes, we know its design file. That's not important. How many Engineering computers are on right now?"

He looked over to Glenn to see a puzzled look on Glenn's face. "It is procedure for all Engineers to back up their work each night and power down their systems." Returning the phone to his ear, he waited for a response. While waiting, Glenn sat in his chair and typed some more commands on his computer. The board flashed on the wall as the screen of numbers were replace with the CCTV feeds throughout the building. With the mouse, he searched for the video feeds of the Engineering department.

"Are you kidding me? Thanks, I'll be down in a second". Disconnecting the call, Steven placed the phone back into his pocket. Looking over to Glenn, he smiled and said, "Mike Rossini's computer is the only computer on in the Engineering department."

"What a way to start my day," Glenn said with a smile. "I get to watch good ole Mike get cuffed by the Feds and dragged out of here for questioning. I can't stand that ass-hole! Okay, get back to your department and continue to dig into this situation. I will go and talk to security."

Steven turned and exited the office closing the door behind him while Glenn looked over at the video feeds from the Engineering Department. To his surprise, he saw someone entering the room. The time stamp said 6:51 AM. He could not imagine who would be entering the department so early in the morning. None of the Engineers are early starters. Most arrived between 7:30 and 8:30. As the person walked closer to the camera, he could see it was Robert Hershing, Mike's team member.

"What are you doing here so early?" he quietly said to himself. Closing the lid to his laptop, the wall screen went blank, and Glenn exited his office. He needed to meet with Robert before heading to the Security Office.

Chapter 5

Robert felt very strange entering his office so early in the morning. Typically, when he arrives the place is buzzing with people and he would have to say at least thirty "hellos" just to get to his desk. Traffic was light, the bus trip was short, and since the cafeteria was still closed, he was in his area before 7:00.

After passing through the secured double doors, he had to walk down a short isle with work pods on either side. To his right was a work area for documentation control, which had a couple of private rooms along the back wall. Once at the end of the short corridor, he came to the main isle that ran the full length of the Engineering Department. Turning left, his work pod was about 3/4 the way up the aisle, about forty yards. Ahead to his left on the floor where an isle went down between two sections of pods was the four-foot Monstera plant he had seen in his dream earlier that morning. This time though its leaves where the healthy green, and not burnt red he had seen in his dream.

Entering into his pod, he felt something was out of place. The pod was a square cube about eleven feet deep and nine feet wide. Standing in the middle with the entrance to his back, his workspace was on the right side of the cube with his computer in the right corner just ahead of him. His partner, Mike Rossini, had the left side with his computer station in the corner behind him to the left, next to the cubicle's entrance. Turning around, he tried to put his finger on what wasn't right. Staring at Mike's area, he realized it was the humming from Mike's running computer, but the screens were dark. Everyone else's computer, including his own, were off. "That's odd", he said to himself. Mike had left with him last night, and he was certain they went through their joking ritual as they "shut down all systems".

He sat down at Mike's seat, and moved the mouse. The middle screen of the three monitors came to life with Mike's normal desktop in view. Mike's brand new shiny red Corvette parked proudly in front of the office building, and all of the icons neatly arranged around it. Oddly, the other two screens remained off. In the tool bar at the bottom of the screen, an unusual icon was rolling around with a percentage number clicking from 94% to 95%. Clicking on the icon, a small window popped up describing a conversion processes in action and the counter showing the build to be 98% complete.

This wasn't right. Suddenly, he felt angry and want to find out what the IT people were doing to Mike's computer. No doubt if they were messing with Mike's, then they were definitely messing with his. Typing quickly, he began opening system tools to try to identify what was going on.

Down at the end of the room, he heard the buzzing of the security doors and someone entering the room. Quickly he closed the application he had started and looked over his shoulder to see if the person was heading his way. Since Mike's station was next to the pods entrance, he only had to look over his left shoulder and peer around the edge of the corner of the pod's entrance to see that Glenn was making the turn heading towards his area.

"Fuck!" he said quietly. His heart was pound. He is the only one here, and the President of the company is storming towards him. He stood up from Mike's seat and moved away from the chair. Focusing on the pod's entrance, he prepared to meet Glenn's arrival.

"What are you doing here?" Glenn shouted as he quickly stopped at the entrance of the pod.

Like being splashed with cold water, Robert had the sensation of déjà vu. Though the voice was different, everything else was the same as he had experienced earlier in the dream. He was typing at the computer, looking over his shoulder, and Glenn was the glowing figure that approached past the red plant. He vividly remembered the cold grip on his throat, and the pressure that was squeezing the life out of him. He felt himself blinking and saying, "Uh?"

Seeing that Robert looked a little dazed, and knowing he phrased his statement awkwardly, Glenn took the opportunity to tone it down and rephrase the question. "Robert, what are you doing here so early?" Glenn paused to let Robert collect himself. He knew his presence could be intimidating, and he did not want to let on that something was about to go down. "You and Mike usually don't roll in here until after 9:00." Pausing again, he saw Robert had regained his composure.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came in early", Robert said as he studied Glenn. Something wasn't right. Glenn never has a casual conversation with any of the Engineers. In fact, the only person he talked to in this department was Robert's boss, Samantha Grey.

"Ah uh, I see", Glenn said as he step into the cubicle, and grabbed Robert's left shoulder with his right hand. "Drive and dedication are the attitudes I like to see in my Development Department," Glenn said as he patted Robert on the shoulder.

Robert instinctively moved backwards towards the center of the cubicle in order to keep a comfort zone between them. Something wasn't right. Glenn's words sounded convincing, but something deep within him knew Glenn was bullshitting. He watched as Glenn looked around at Mike's work area, and he noticed that Mike's computer had turned itself off.

"Couldn't sleep, eh. I trust there are no issues with the structure around the propulsion system you and Mike are working on", he said as he brought his gaze back to Robert.

"No, actually that is moving along quite smoothly. In fact Mike has completed all of the Foyer Analysis of the vibration harmonics, and things are looking pretty sound." Robert began to get a little confident as he talked about issues within his realm.

"Ah, good, good. We needed to pull Mike for few days, do you think you could keep things moving forward to meet the design review deadline at the end of this week?"

"Be a bit of a challenge, but I am up to it." Robert quickly responded without thinking. He knew not to instill any doubt in the program when speaking to upper management. So giving a non-committal response would be politically acceptable.

"Well", Glenn said as he began to turn away, "I hope you are up to the challenge." While leaving the cubicle he turned back to Robert and said, "So, make sure you are getting your sleep, we'll need you at your best". Glenn then turned way and headed back down the aisle towards the entrance of the department.

Robert pulled the chair out from his desk and sat down. Leaning back, he put the palms of his hands over his eyes and began reviewing all of the events of the morning; the dream that nearly killed him, the computer running that odd program, and Glenn showing up and lying through his teeth. And what was the deal with pulling Mike? He is the lead architect in the Structure Group. At this point in the design, he would be the last person Sam would allow to be taken from the group.

He pulled out his cell phone and texted Sam to find out where she was. While he waited for a response, he powered up his computer. Her response came back much faster than expected; she was in the cafeteria getting coffee. Responding, he asked her to get him a large black and to bring it to their area ASAP. Getting up from his chair, he went back down the aisle to the documentation area, pulled up a chair at one of the review desks and waited for her to come through the security doors.

Within 5 minutes, the lock on the doors buzzed and Sam came into the office area. Standing up, Robert caught her attention and began to move towards her. She turned towards Robert and headed towards him instead. Nearly all of the Engineers in the department wore jeans with a golf shirt or a t-shirt, but Sam was always well dressed in slacks and a blouse. She was young for the level of responsibility she held in the company. At thirty-two, she was managing the Mechanical and Electrical design organization along with its support personnel. Not only responsible for the seventeen employees in these groups, but she was also responsible for the seven active projects. Those projects had employees contributing from other departments, to which she had indirectly responsible. Therefore, she had 17 direct reports, and another 30 or 40 indirect reports through the projects.

"Hey Robbie," she said in an upbeat manner as she entered the area with his cup of coffee held out in front of her. She was the only person that he let call him Robbie. The smile she would give him as she said it warmed him from head to toe. Like nearly all the men on the floor, if not the entire building, he wished he could get to know her on a more personal level. She was an average height of 5 foot 7 inches, with light brown shoulder length hair, a country girl look and attitude, and spent every free moment outdoors. Needless to say, she was fit. She wasn't skinny, had nice curves, and you knew there was muscle with all of the outdoor activities she did.

He grabbed the coffee from her right hand as she passed by him. He started to say something, but she kept walking towards the offices in the back. Her now empty hand popped up over her shoulder with her index finger pointing up. Then she signaled to an office with the finger as she quickly moved around the tables in the area. He couldn't help but think what Mike would say about him and Sam alone in the back office with no one around, and it brought a big smile to his face. Mike was in love with Sam, and they were about the same age. Robert was more of the "little brother" of the group.

Sam held the door open for him. "Sit here," she said pointing to a spot at the head of the table where his back would be to the windows and door. As he sat down, she went over to the wall of filing cabinets, open a drawer, and pulled out a file. She sat down in the chair to his right, opened the file, and looked at him. Holding her coffee closed to her lips, she took a sip and said in a soft manner, "What's up Robbie?"

Confused, Robert kept looking between her and the open file on the table. She spread some of the papers around a little, and then said, "I have no idea what is in this file, I just want our talk to look like it has something to do with our project. Now, it is not even 7:30 in the morning. You are never here until 8:30 or 9:00. You text me asking where I am, and you couldn't wait at your desk for us to talk." She paused, and then said, "So, what's up?"

Without mentioning the dream he had had, he told her about the events that occurred with Glenn at his cubicle. When he told her the comment Glenn made about reassigning Mike, she put her cup down on the table. "What the hell is he up to," she said thinking aloud. "He never comes down here on his own."

"It not so much that", Robert said. "He specifically came towards our pod and was looking at Mike's computer. And the computer was on and running a strange program, and then it had shut off all on its own. Something odd is going on. What was running on Mike's machine was not an update. It was very strange; I got a very strange vibe from him".

Robert leaned back in his chair and watched the wheels spin in Sam's head. She picked up her cup and held it close to her lips again. The florescent ceiling light reflected off the white plastic lid of her coffee cup lighting up the yellow steaks in the brown iris of her eyes. At times, she was stunning, and he could not help but to get jealous that she was closer to Mike than to him. Putting her coffee cup down, she fished into her pants' pocket and pulled out her personal cell phone. Fingering through her contact list she found who she was looking for, but pause before connecting.

"Who are you calling?" Robert asked.

"Darla, down in IT. I need to find out if there is something they are running on your computers. If what they are doing screws up my project schedule, I am going to have someone's liver on a silver platter."

"Why call her cell phone? Just use the office phone on the table."

"No, if Glenn is involved, I don't want a company record of our conversation. I need to get ahead of what he is doing, so he doesn't need to know I spoke to Darla". Sam pressed the send button on her phone.

"What do you mean get ahead? What's going on?"

"Listen Robbie, I don't know what's going on, but for Glenn to tell you he is reassigning Mike before telling me is a major FUBAR on his part. It is no secret that Glenn is trying to get down my pants. If he has a need for Mike, he would be having me up in his office every half hour trying to woo me into releasing him from the project."

After the first ring, Sam held the phone close to her ear, but Robert could still hear the conversation in the quietness of the room. "Hello Sam," came Darla's voice over the phone. In the background, you could hear a lot of commotion. "Are you ready for this weekend? You can tell Mike and Robert that Bill, Dana, and I are going to whip your butts." she said with a giggle.

"Yea, we'll see," Sam said winking at Robert. "Listen, where are you? At a train station?"

"No, I am at work. Everyone is in a frenzy. They discovered..." she stopped herself suddenly. "Listen Sam, I can't say much. I, a..."

Sam's eye widened. "Darla, come on. Don't leave me on a limb like this. Does it affect me? Give me a chance to put some kind of plan in place. Don't leave me flapping in the wind here."

"Okay, listen. Steven suspects one of the computers in the Engineering area has breached the security protocol and has sent information out of the building without authorization. It is a major breach. People are nervous."

"A breach! Any idea which computer?" Sam eyes were locked on Robert's, and she moved the phone away from her ear so Robert could hear better.

"I have no idea. They're not saying much about that. We are mainly focused on finding out where the information went. Listen, I have to go. Let's hook up at lunch if you are available". Then she quickly disconnected the line.

Robert was stunned. Sam lowered her hands to the table, and grabbed her cup of coffee again.

"It's Mike computer," Robert said slowly. Sam just looked at him. "Wait, you don't think..." he said, then paused as he second guessed himself. "Mike wouldn't. He not that kind of person. I would know if he were angry or wanted to sabotage the project"

"I agree. We've known each other for years. I would know if he were up to something." She looked at her watch. It was 7:20 in the morning, and she could see people starting to come into the office. "I need time to think this through," she said gazing out the window into the office area. Reaching for the company phone on the table, she dialed a four-digit number. Confused, Robert raised his hands up from the table, palms up and made a face as if to say, "Who you calling now?"

"Hello Bridgette. Yea, this is Samantha Grey up in Engineering." Robert's eyes widen, and he started to fidget in his seat. Sam raised her finger as if to tell Robert to hold on.

"Well I am having an issue with my pass card, and need to come down and get a new one." After a short pause. "Do I really have to wait until this afternoon? I mean really, it's just a picture and some paper work." Again, a pause, then he saw her jaw dropped slightly. Robert could see the concern in her eyes. "How long do you expect them to be here? Well, okay. We'll do this tomorrow". She hung up the phone and looked at Robert. "The Feds are here," she said quietly. "Security is locked down. They'll be conducting interviews regarding a 'minor' situation."

"There is nothing minor about this," Robert said. "They're looking for a hide to hang."

Sam picked up her cell phone again, and dialed a number. Placing the phone to her ear, she spoke quickly and curtly. "Hello Mike, shut up and listen. Do not come to work today. Park your Corvette in your garage, pack the jeep with the camping gear. Then head to Hedgemon's Point. Robert and I will meet you there tonight." Then she had to pause, because Mike began rambling.

She took a breadth, stared at the ceiling then said, "Mike, I cannot answer any of your questions. I need you to get on the road to the mountains now. Things are a little screwy here at work, and you're just going to have to trust me when I tell you your presence here will only make it worse. Do not call Robert or me after I hang up. We will explain everything tonight. Get on the road, get the supplies, and we'll see you later this afternoon."

Robert just shook his head, "Damn, you can be a real asshole," he said with a smile.

"Yea, well you know Mike, I'd still be on the phone answering questions," Sam said as she collected the papers back into the file. "Listen, we've been talking about project stuff, and I never called Mike."

"Obviously," Robert said getting up from his chair.

Sam got up to put the file back from where she got it. "Let's have lunch with the camping crew, and I'll tell everyone that Mike called me with car trouble."

"What if the Feds want to talk to me?" Robert said looking through the glass of the office watching the people milling around getting their day started.

"They probably don't. If they did, they would have already been up here. I bet they're down there waiting for their big fish to come swimming in. Something tells me they may be waiting all day." She patted Robert on the back, and they left the office to start their workday.

Chapter 6

Most everyone in the Engineering office were oblivious to severity of the situation. Robert kept to himself most of the morning. It wasn't until 11:00 when the Janet from IT came to get Mike's computer. Robert turned to look over his left shoulder to find Janet climbing under Mike's desk to disconnecting cables.

"Is there something wrong with Mike's computer?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said with a grunt as she struggled with some of the cables. Janice was a black woman in her mid-forties. She wasn't a small woman, and since Robert was skinny and "nimble", he decided to get up and help her with the wires.

"All I know is Mike's and a lot of other computers in this damn place have been slated for a thorough cleaning, and my Holiday weekend is screwed."

Clearly, she was not happy. It was clear through the anger in her voice, and in the way she was roughly handling Mike's computer.

Walking over, he stooped down to look things over. "Hey, I'll tell you what, why don't you wiggle the wires from up here, and I'll disconnect the proper ones and move the computer out from under there." Clearly, this was not necessary since all of the wires needed to be disconnected to remove the computer box, but he thought it was a kind gesture.

Janet, on the hand, was ready to explode at the silly idea. She was here already rolling on the floor in the dirt and dust. She slid out a little bit to look Robert in the eye. Just as she was about to lay into him, she thought better of it. This would probably be the only time today that someone would offer to help her.

"That would be great," she said smiling at him. She slid out a little, and held out both hands for Robert to help her up.

He stood up grabbed her hands and leaned backwards as she pulled herself into a standing position.

"Thanks", she said as she brushed the dust and lint from her pants with her hands. Robert suddenly felt angry or annoyed. He was not sure why, but he felt he should be angry at something. Confused, he continued on with his commitment and crawled under the desk. There wasn't much space behind the computer to get his hand back to unscrew the thumb nuts connecting the cables to the computer. The dust on the cables and the surrounding area were surprisingly thick.

"Well, I can see why it needs to be cleaned", he said with a slight cough to clear the dust from his throat. "It's a mess under here. Oh, should I just disconnect all of the cables?"

"Yea, just unscrew and unplug everything'", she said with a giggle. "Do you honestly think I be spending my Holiday weekend dustin' this place! Child, you just ain't thinking straight. No, Honey, the hard drives need to be cleaned. There is some kind of nasty bug crawling around this place." She pulled Mikes chair around and sat down. Robert saw an opportunity to get some information.

"Well, it must be pretty nasty to have you come in over the weekend. Is it just you, or will there be more from your group?" he said with a grunt. He smiled, now he was the one grunting.

"Well", she said and held out her hand to count. "There's me, Jim, and Debby to do the low level stuff. Then there's supposed to be two Analysts who will examine the files on the drives. So, five of us all together."

"Well, it sucks that you'll be here, but at least there will be a couple of you here." Struggling with the last cable, he continued the conversation. "So, usually when there's a virus or something, all of the computers are affected and we are told to run the anti-virus program. Why do they have you focusing on specific computers?" The last cable was undone, but he stalled a little to keep the conversation going.

"Well, apparently only specific computers were acting funny. And apparently it all started with this one. Yea, in the lab they call this computer the 'Puppet Master'. It seems it was telling other computers to do some unauthorized shit. Steven wants this baby to go directly to Andrew for analysis." She got up from the chair and stooped down to see what he was doing.

"Okay, the last cable is off. How do I get the box out of the rack?"

"Well with these desks, reach up to the back of the rack nearest to you and you'll feel a latch. Pull it down, and the back of the rack will pivot around towards you. You'll have to move out of the way."

He found the latch, and pulled it down. The rack began to pivot into him, so he scooted out from under the desk. After he stood up, he swung the rack all the way around so that the back of the computer was now sticking out from under the desk. Janice bent over to get the computer box.

"The problem is, your Engineering boxes are a little too big for these desks, so it hard to get to the wires". Once she had the computer box securely in her arms, she carried it over to the cart she had brought which was sitting just outside the cubicle. Looking back, she smiled and said, "Thanks for the help."

It was close to lunchtime, so Robert went down to the cafeteria to see if he could catch up with Sam. He sat at a table with people from his project. The conversation bounce around on different subjects as it usually had, and he found out that a couple of the computers in the Engineering area were being looked at over the weekend. He didn't add much to the conversation, other than Mike's computer had been taken. It wasn't until nearly an hour after Robert had sat at the table that Sam showed up.

"Steve and Jennie can't make the camping trip," she announced to the table, "and it appears Mike may not be able to make it either."

"Awe shit." Someone said at the end of the table.

"Besides, I might have to hang around. There's some stuff going down, as we all know, so I want to be available if I am needed."

Most everyone at the table was taking part in the "King of the Mountain" hiking trip. There were four groups of 3 to 5 people each. Each group was assigned a starting point at different locations, each twenty miles from the meeting point at the top of the mountain. The object was to get to the top of the mountain first before Saturday evening. Whichever team did sat back and relaxed while the other teams had to wait on them for the remainder of the weekend. It was all in good fun, and the teams were chosen at random through a lottery. Sadly, the teams were beginning to falling apart because people would have to work this weekend in response to the security breach issue.

Sam and Robert remained after all the others had left. "Listen Robert, we are still going to meet Mike at our camp site. Be ready to leave here at 2:30."

"Okay, no problem," Robert said as he was getting up. "Listen, real quick. Janice came to get Mike's computer. She told me that his computer was telling the other computers in this place what to do. They nicknamed Mike's computer the 'Puppet Master'. She was taking it to Andrew so he could do full analysis on today."

"So Andrew will be looking at it", Sam said rolling her hands one over the other in a scheming way. "You know, he's my sweetheart in that department," she said with a big smile.

"Yea, I know. You got sweethearts in every department." Robert said rolling his eyes.

"Yep, everywhere except Accounting. They hate me there," she said with a frown nodding her head.

"That's because you are always over budget," Robert said with a quip.

"Why you Son of Bit...," and she hit him harder than expected in the left shoulder.

Robert quickly over reacted with a loud grunt and grabbed his shoulder, but he couldn't help but smile at her reaction.

"You know," she added, "others have found themselves thrown off the side of a cliff while hiking for saying less." Sam said trying to play down how harsh she had responded. While she turned and walked away, she said, "I have a status meeting in 5 minutes, we'll leave when it's over".

Robert rubbed his should as he watched her walk away. He liked that he knew how to get under her skin and push the buttons that made her react. She was close to him and Mike, and he enjoyed the attention. Then he smiled as he thought about the three-hour ride they will have together on the way to the campsite.

Chapter 7

Glenn didn't usually sit in on the Projects Status Meeting. He preferred to read the minutes, and if he didn't like what he read he would call the Project Manager up to his office for a better explanation. So, the fact that he was present at this meeting kept everyone on their toes and their responses were short and to the point. His presence also kept the normal chatter to a minimum. Therefore, things were moving along quickly.

This meeting was always held in the same large rectangular conference room on the top floor of the building. All twenty attendees sat around a large conference table. There were two very large displays on each of the long walls that displayed the Presenter's information giving everyone in the room a good view. Each seat at the table had a keyboard and a small LCD display that was built into and flush with the table. Once seated at the table, you could log onto your own computer, and then present onto the screens when it was your turn.

Sam always sat in the same seat, in the center of the left side of the table. This spot gave have the best vantage point of all the participants. Unfortunately, after taking her seat today, Glenn sat directly across table from her. As always, she was the last to present. This didn't bother her, in fact she used it to her advantage. Often time was running out and she would have to be quick with her information. Moreover, since all the others had gone before her, she could sometimes use their information to her benefit. But unfortunately today's meeting has been scant of excess pointless details, and was running ahead of schedule.

Throughout the entire meeting, she could feel Glenn looking her over. Each time she would glance his way, he was always looking above and beyond her to the display on the wall behind her. Though she never caught him, she felt him eyeing her over. Relieved that she had finished her last slide she sat back to respond to any questions. She looked to Donald, the Vice President in charge of the Project Management Office, and he gave her a nod of satisfaction.

"Okay, then", Donald said as he gathered his paper. "If there are no questions then we're done here."

Glenn was casually staring at Sam, so she returned the stare with a slight smile. "I have one question", Glenn said and he looked around the room and watched everyone settled back into their chairs. He enjoyed seeing some of the looks of desperation from those who thought they would get away.

"You are all aware of the situation that was uncovered this morning. You all received my email explaining the work that is occurring to ensure our systems and files have not been compromised." He paused for effect, and to assure himself he had everyone's attention. "Yet, none of you mentioned how this would impact your projects." He made sure he was smiling broadly. "Donald, I thought for sure with my attendance this afternoon at your meeting, that your people would have addressed this issue.

"Well Glenn, you see this is a ..."

"Take Sam here," Glenn said interrupting the VP. "I believe 30% of her systems have been compromised, yet she seems unphased by this turn of events." He then sat back in his chair rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, and put his hands together touching at the fingertips. Looking straight at her again, he waited for her response. He admired her poise, how calm and collected she could be. He wondered how close to the edge he could push her. Opening his hands to her, he said, "Well, have you assessed the impact to your projects".

"During my first cup of coffee, after I opened your email," she said smoothly without hesitation. Most at the table smiled without making a sound while Donald looked down at the table and shook his head slightly.

"So, there no issue then?" Glenn said pressing his fingers together to help regulate his tension.

"Well, you see Glenn, to all of us around this table see 'this turn of events' as a minor bump in the road." She was lying through her teeth, but so far it sounded good. "The good news is that there's a crack IT team working over the weekend to ensure all of the business' systems are back in place so that we are up and running when we return on Tuesday. If, on Tuesday, when we return and some of the computers are not back on line, then we will go into panic mode. Until then, we don't panic."

Damn he loved the spunk she had. Her smile and soft voice. It drove him crazy that she would not back down to him. "Okay", he said, and then his phone buzzed. He picked it up from the table to look who was calling. Recognizing he would need to take the call, he continued. "Thank you everyone for the status updates and I hope you have a good weekend."

As people packed their stuff, and had small conversations, Glenn answered his phone. "Preston, please hold". He remained in his chair and held the phone to his ear. He gently knocked on the table to get Sam's attention. When she looked at him, he softly said. "I would like to speak to you after everyone is gone."

He said this matter-of-factly, so Sam had no idea where this was heading. She smiled at him and took her seat. Glenn continued with the call as the remainder of the attendees left the room. "Go on Preston."

Preston was a personal aide to Glenn outside of the business. In an earlier time he would have been called a butler. Preston, though, had a lot more freedoms. He had a room in Glenn's mansion in a private wing, but he could come and go as he pleased. His job was to manage Glenn's affairs on the personal side, which weren't really much. In his late forties, Preston was older than Glenn, and played the role of a mature and responsible adult when Glenn was around. However, when alone, he was as untamed as a homeless teenager loose on the streets.

"As you know sir, the members of your team from the European Offices have been arriving today, and I expect they are anticipating an entertaining weekend here at your Estate," Preston said in a business like manor. He never knew when Glenn would answer the phone on speaker, so he always played the respectable servant when he didn't know whether there was an audience or not.

"Yes, Preston, quite right."

"Well sir, I was thinking maybe tonight you could host a poker night at the warehouse. It has been a while, and well, I spoke to Norris when I picked him up at the airport this morning, and I think he is expecting a challenging game."

"Preston that is a marvelous idea. I must say I am in the mood. Do you think you could have it all arranged by 7:00 this evening?" Sam took notice of the lighten mood that came over Glenn as he spoke on the phone.

"Oh yes Sir, not a problem. I anticipated your response, and already cleared it with your chef. You'll be having surf and turf tonight for dinner." His pride in his accomplishments could clearly be heard over the phone.

"Excellent Preston! I look forward to one of your flawless evenings", then he abruptly ended the call. He placed the cell phone back down on the table, and look at Sam. "Tell me, I didn't sense any tension from you during your presentation or when you were answering Donald's questions. So why all the animosity towards me? I was quite embarrassed."

"Oh, boy, here we go," Sam thought to herself. Half expecting to see big cartoon 'puppy eyes' to flare up on Glenn's face, she knew where this was going. Hoping to get out of there quickly, she played it cool. "Sorry Glenn that is not how I meant it. You know us PMs, we're a prideful lot and don't like to be second guessed. Sorry, I just went into defensive mode."

"Sam, you are one of the most respected Project Managers in this organization." Glenn's tone was soft and caring. "There is no reason to be defensive when responding to anyone's questions. I will tell you though," he lean towards her and his tone deepened slightly, "there will be missing rungs on your ladder towards more respected positions if you continue to show disrespect to your superiors."

Talk about a baseball bat to the back of her head. She felt her jaw drop, but she recovered quickly. "I did not realize I came across that belligerent, I am truly sorry." She knew he was playing this way too hard, she had difficulty seeing where this was going.

Settling back into his chair, Glenn became more relaxed, "Well, I hope you will work on containing your anxiety about issues when you discuss them with your Superiors."

"Yes, Sir." She said as if she were bowing to an all-powerful Sultan.

Not to be interrupted, Glenn continued right over top of her. "... especially in front of the Superior's subordinates." His tone was quite stern, and he knew he had her attention. There was a silence. He had her where he wanted her.

"Now, the managers from our European offices are in town for the next two weeks. Please be mindful how you respond to their questions. As I had said earlier, you are well respected across the business," he leaned forward again for effect, "please do not embarrass me".

Sam nodded. She knew better than to say anything. She also knew he wasn't done. "What the punch line?" she said to herself. He was way too predictable. She was used to his charades.

"Before they leave next Saturday, I will be hosting a dinner party at my estate. I would like you to be there..." he paused to see her expression. But she was a rock. Damn, he admired her poise. "... with some of the other managers of the business as well," he finished smoothly.

"Not too bad," she thought to herself. Free food and mingling with a few co-workers. She could work a crowd.

"Will you be bringing anybody with you?" he asked.

Oh no, here it comes. She knew there was a reason for all of this. "Ah, no," she had not realized how dry her mouth had gotten.

"Well that's not an issue, I am not bringing anyone either. So, you can sit beside me at dinner," he said with a slight smile. He loved conquering each situation. He couldn't help thinking, "tee it up, and a hole in one".

All Sam could think was, "shit, damn it, shit, hell, damn it...", but she never lost the smile from her face. "Well, that would be great," she said with a relaxed smile and looked down at her hands. Then gazing up at him she said. "Standing by your side, I'll get to hear all of the Company's secrets."

He leaned back in his chair and let out a good laugh, then smiled as she got up from the table to leave. As she walked away, he studied her; her curves, the way she moved. Then, when she was a few steps from the door, he said to her. "Oh Sam, by the way," and he waited for her to turn and look at him so he could see her reaction. "It's a black tie affair."

This she did not expect. She was certain the look on her face showed it too. She is not a gown type of girl. This son-of-a-bitch set her up, and she missed it. And from the smile on his face, he knew it. Now she would need to shop for a damn gown.

"That's not a problem," she said as she opened the door. "I only hope I still fit into my gown. I have lost some weight you know." As she shut the door, she could hear him laugh and slam his hand on the table.

Chapter 8

As Preston was disconnecting his call with Glenn, he was turning into the Dessert Height Motel located slightly outside the city limits. This was a run-of-the-mill, two floor, strip motel with 24 rooms. It has been years since a fresh coat of paint had been applied to any surface, inside or out. The parking lot had a few cars, some old and some new, there was even a newer model Mercedes Benz. Most every room had its own Hooker.

Preston liked coming to this spot. He found the girls rotated often, giving the place an air of freshness and youth. Their average age was twenty-two. None was ever older than twenty-six, which kept the clientele happy, and never younger than eighteen, which kept the police from visiting too often. The girls' themselves kept order and ensured everyone was taken care of and satisfied. All of the girls loved Preston.

Preston was not an attractive man. He was a below average looking Irish man, slightly balding, and pudgy around the middle. He did dress well, and always drove a nice car. However, what the girls loved about Preston was his money and his "candy". Since his income was high and his expenses low, he had plenty of cash to throw around. In fact, he always paid twice the going rate. This ensured the girl always performed her best, and often gave the extra effort to do a little more for him. Sometimes, depending on the situation, he would take the "lucky" girl for either a nice meal or shopping for some nice clothes.

To the girls, flaunting his money was nice, but the candy he brought with him made their session with him enjoyable. No one knew what was in the cocktail of drugs that he had mixed, but it would make them extremely high and extremely Horney. Two hits and the girl would be on cloud nine. Three hits, and she would be uncontrollable; just the way he liked it. The most import thing though, was that they all knew him as Dave.

He pulled into a spot not far from the entrance, and watched Tiffany walk to his car. She was in her early twenties, Asian; had long straight shiny black hair, stood 5 feet 4 inches tall when she wasn't wearing her heals, and she had a recent modest boob job that accentuated her lean thin body.

"Hi Dave," she said in a young childish like voice while wiggling the fingers of her hand in a gesture to say hello. "You are here a little early today." She was wearing a tight black knit skirt that barely made it to her thighs, and a pink halter-top that proudly showed her diamond belly ring. She stopped close to his car door, crisscrossed her arms on the roof, and slightly bent over to look in at him. This gave him the best possible view of her chest and her incredibly sexy eyes. They were brown, and she never over did the makeup. Her complexion was flawless; she had a natural tan look.

"This place looks dead," he said to her as he leaned out of the car and put his left arm around her back. His hand immediately landed on her thigh just under her skirt. As he pulled her close to give her a kiss on her waist, he quickly slid his hand up into the crack of her ass and firmly squeezed her right cheek. He loved it, she never budged, and in fact she grabbed the back of his neck and head with her left hand to pull him in closer.

"We can have any room," she said gently. "Most are empty, no one is around."

"Are you hungry?" He said as he messaged her left hip with his right hand.

"No, I just ate." She leaned down and gave him a passionate kiss that was more than what was expected from a Call Girl. She liked him. Though he was another John, he was kind, considerate, and always treated her with gentleness and respect.

After, breaking away from the kiss he said, "Let's go see what is on the racks at Sophia's." Sophia's was a high-end female attire shop that specialized in top of the line clothing.

"Really?" she said excitedly.

"Sure, I think you would look much better in a black leather skirt, with a cashmere top." He had a natural smile as he said this. To see her light up was very gratifying. She straightened her skirt as she quickly walked in front of the car. He watched her as she moved and she gave him a sexy wink when she spotted him looking at her. She settled into the seat and closed the door. Preston reached over and pulled back what little skirt was covering her. Relaxed, she kept legs apart and let him message her. He reversed the car out of the spot, and expertly maneuvered it onto the highway with one arm.

As she got more excited, she reached over and undid his pants. With her sexiest pout, she looked at him and tugged on his pants so he would help her pull them down. Fortunately, for him, they were approaching an overpass, so he pulled to the side of the road under the over pass. Cars drove by quickly, never suspecting anything, and he was able to watch the rearview mirror should a Police Car or someone else approach them from behind.

His pants were down quickly, and she was fast at work. This was one of her specialties, and she expertly took her time. Repeatedly, she took him to the edge, walk him back a bit then entice him once again. When he was ready to explode, she got more aggressive. During his orgasm, he realized he was so mesmerized by her technique that he forgot to keep watch. At the end of his orgasm, he took a quick look in the mirror and was relieved to see there was no one there.

Satisfied, in every aspect, he reached behind her seat. She was still actively cleaning up things as he pulled a syringe out of the pocket on the back of her seat. Moaning as if he was thoroughly enjoying everything, he uncapped the syringe and found the spot on her neck. "This will make you feel better," he said gently. She let out a deep sigh and rested her head on his lap. He inserted the needle and gave her the full dose.

Instead of feeling the normal high that came with his drug, she began to feel woozy. She sat up confused and tried to look at him.

"What is that? I ... I... don't feel right?"

That was the last thing she had said. She fell across the consoul, unconscious to the world.

Annoyed, Preston roughly moved her to her seat and pushed her up against her door. He had to maneuver her around until she was sitting normally, then he pulled her skirt down over her thighs. Satisfied she was in a good sleeping position to a casual observer; he rubbed her breast and said, "Sleep tight sweetheart, the fun is just beginning." He gazed at the clock on the radio and saw that it was only 2:30 PM. "Ah, good. I got plenty of time," he said with a sigh. Putting the car in gear, he merged into traffic and continued on his way.

Chapter 9

Sam was pissed, but she calmly walked away from the conference room to the elevator. Once she was inside and the elevator's doors slid shut, she went through her silent rant to let out her anger. Then she whispered to herself, "Son of a Bitch. Like I don't have enough shit to do! God Damn it!" Running through the options in her head, she decided to go straight to the IT Department on the fourth floor. Darla was the closest girlfriend she had, and she would need her help in getting the right clothes.

The Information Technology group was on the floor directly below Engineering, and had the identical layout. The only exception was the rooms in the back on the Engineering floor that were used to have meetings and review documents, were offices for the management of the IT group. This office space was also a secured location, so she had to use her pass card to gain access.

After entering, she quickly turned away from the offices and headed down the isle to Darla's cubicle. Fortunately, Darla was there studying some code on her computer screen. Darla was three years younger than Sam and was of Puerto Rican descent. Her hair was black with a lose curl that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were so dark, they were nearly black. She was just barely over 5 feet tall and had a tight little figure. Sam envied two of Darla's most prominent assets; her ability to flirt with the other sex and to have them completely under her spell in five minutes, and her eye for clothing and shoes. Right now, Sam was in desperate need of the latter.

"Darla, I desperately need your help," she said as she entered Darla's cubicle and leaned against the desk along the right side of the cubicle.

Darla spun around and smiled when she saw Sam. "Hey, you." Darla quickly went from close friend to defensive co-worker. She whispered in concern, "What are you doing in here? We're in, like a lockdown mode here. There's a Federal investigation going on."

"Really?" Sam said ducking down. "I used my pass card and walked right in." She stood up, then up on the tips of her toes to look over the cubicle partitions. "No one said anything to me when I passed them."

"Perhaps your level has clearance", Darla said with a wave of the hand.

"Yea, maybe so", Sam said returning to a leaning position against the desk. "Besides, I have a much more pressing emergency then some Federal investigation." Sam said as she moved closer and lowered her voice.

"Let me guess", Darla said holding up her hand to insinuate a stopping motion. "Glenn has asked you out for the 200th time and you finally said yes." She said this sarcastically to sound like she was hurt that she wasn't asked.

"Yes."

Darla stopped and looked up at her. There was a long silence as she waited for the punch line. Since Sam was not responding, Darla continued coyly. "You're kidding right?"

"No."

"You're serious?"

Sam nodded with a smirk on her face.

"I have no respect for you now", Darla said dryly and gave Sam a disapproving look from head to toe. Then she folded her arms across her chest, leaned back in her chair, and stared into Sam's eyes. Sam smiled, surprised to see how disappointed Darla was in her, and then recognized the opportunity to lead her along.

"I tell you girl", Darla continued dryly, "something is not right with him. He gives me the creeps". Then she started to look away from Sam not afraid to show her disappointment.

Sam, put her hand on Darla's shoulder and said, "Really? He's rather sweet you know."

Darla cut her off with a sharp, whispered tone, "What, you gotta sleep your way to the top! Damn it, I had more faith in you." and she turned away from Sam again. "Go away."

Unable to continue the ruse, Sam began to laugh quietly. "I like sweet and creepy."

Darla looked back at her and saw she was laughing. She swatted at Sam's arm and said, "Don't scare me like that.", then she giggled as well. Darla relaxed a little then said, "So really, what's up.

Sam smiled then said with a straight face, "I have a dinner date with Glenn." Darla fell back into her slumped position, crossed her arms across her chest, and starred at Sam. "He's holding a dinner party next Friday night at his estate since the European Management Team is in town." Darla didn't budge. "He is also inviting some of the local management to the dinner, and I am one of them.

Still not budging, Darla said slowly, "Okay, this is not so bad".

"When he invited me, he asked if I were bringing anyone."

"Ah oh, all kinds of alarms should be going off." Darla said raising her voice but still maintaining a whisper. "I hope you said YES, my mother, father, brother and two cousins!"

Sam cocked her head and stared at her. "You done?" She said, but Darla only smiled.

"I couldn't lie, so I said no." She then continued in a desperate tone, "Then he said he wasn't either, and that I would sit by him at dinner!" It was hard to keep the volume of her voice low.

"Oh no," Darla got a little animated. "Oh no, no ... No," as if talking to an imaginary person beside them, she continue. "Captain, we're taking on water, this boat is going down! Throw out the life rafts!" Then looked at Sam. "Get sick, anything!"

Sam grabbed her by the shoulders to settle her antics down. "Shhhhh" she said as she looked around as though she could see through the partitions.

When she looked back at Darla, she was just shaking her head with a disapproving look. Looking her in the eye, Sam knew this next piece of information would be the deal breaker. Slowly she said, "It's a black tie affair."

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Darla said surprising loud and in desperate manner.

Sam quickly placed her right hand over Darla's mouth, then place her left index finger over her lips and said, "Shhhhh!"

Darla's eyes were wide. She had not realized how loud she had gotten. Sam removed her hand from Darla's mouth, and leaned back against the desk. Then Darla's looked change from one of surprise to one of focus and determination.

"What?" Sam asked. Darla straightened in her chair. "What?" Sam said again more cautiously.

Soon Darla was standing, and was looking Sam square in the eye since Sam was still leaning on the desk.

"Honey, do I have the gown for you." Darla said to Sam.

"I don't think I would fit into one of your gowns," Sam said surprised at how fast Darla had changed.

"No, no, no," Darla said as she shooed Sam with her hand. "I saw this incredible gown at Bloomingdales two weeks ago. It is a deep midnight blue with a plunging neck line, a low cut back, and a slit up the left side that would make your legs look 6 feet long."

"Ooo, sounds nice," Sam said surprised to find herself excited by the opportunity to wear such a gown. Then she snapped back to reality. "Hey, what are you doing looking at gowns in Bloomingdales.

Looking over at Sam with as much attitude as she could muster, "Who do you think you are looking at? I know every garment, on every rack, in every store. Is this not why you have come to me?"

"Right", Sam said pointing in acknowledgement. "How much?"

"Well, how much would you pay to have Glenn take one look at you, then have to walk around with hand in his pockets, because his persistent hard-on would embarrass him in front of his subordinates."

Nodding Sam said, "Quite a bit."

Confident that she and Sam have control of the situation, Darla continued. "I am little busy this weekend, but we could go Monday afternoon if you are around and get you fitted. Alterations should be done by Wednesday for the test fit."

"Monday might be good. Whoa, wait a minute. Fitting? What fitting?"

"Oh yea, a fitting. Sam, this gown is made to be worn as if it's your second skin. There will be nothing between it and your skin, not even a wrinkle." Darla turned Sam to lead her out of her cubicle.

A little dazed, Sam said lightly, "This gown is going to cost me a fortune isn't it?"

"Honey, if the dress is not at least as expensive as the shoes you'll be wearing, then it is just a rag", Darla said with a smile as she watched Sam leave in a dazed state.

Chapter 10

As Sam walked away, she immediately went into Project Manager mode, and started to review next week's schedule in her head. Nevertheless, images of herself in the gown brought a smile to her face. While deep in thought, she bumped into Andrew as he came out of his cubicle.

"Oh, sorry Andrew", she said as she lightly tapped him on the upper arm. She continued to walk away, but realized she had an opportunity to find out what Andrew knew about the breach situation. She stopped and turned around to find he was going in the opposite direction. Calling out to him, he stopped to look at her. She signaled him to come back to his cubicle.

As he approached she asked, "Got a second to talk?"

"Certainly do," he said entering his cubicle and sitting in his chair. She followed him in, and after he was seated, he swung a chair around for her to sit in.

"I am glad you stopped me, you need to hear this", he said in a low whisper. She pulled the chair up close to him. "As you probably know, the business has it out for Mike. I don't know why, but they are trying to build a case against him while he is away."

Suddenly Sam began to second-guess her instructions to Mike earlier this morning. Andrew continued, "I have been analyzing the files that were sent from the computers in this building."

Sam interrupted. "You know which files and their content?"

"Yea, we have been able to trace which files were sent. And from what I have seen it doesn't add up, not yet anyway."

"What do you mean, doesn't add up?"

"After they were decoded they were left in a binary format. So the file could have been anything; drawings, proposals, test information, anything." Sam nodded to signal she understood.

"So I wrote a search program to match the binary file against binary images of current Engineering files." He began to smile. Andrew was in his mid-forties, pale in complexion, tall and lanky, wore large glasses, and has been in programming since high school. The mere thought of what he was doing and how inappropriate it was made him nervously excited.

"It would take months to go through each file." Sam was confused as why this is important now.

"Well, sure if I was running it from my computer only. But I have several instances of this program running in the background on every computer in this building." The smile on his face was getting bigger. "It consumes only 3 percent of the processing power. Completely undetectable." Subtle giggles would emerge as he spoke. Sam could not help but think he has been a computer geek for too long.

"Basically, Sam, I have the entire business examining the files. In the last hour, I have matched 10% of the files! And guess what?" Sam made a gesture as if to say, 'Well?' "So far it is all random shit. Nothing in any of the suspect file matches anything in any other file. It is all bits and pieces of different types of files." He stopped and waited for her reaction.

"What would be the purpose of sending random information", Sam began to ponder the puzzle, but couldn't understand why Andrew was telling her. "So why are you telling me this", Sam asked intrigued.

"Because, there is something fishy going on. They are putting together a kangaroo court to hang this incident around Mike's neck. Listen, I like Mike. He and I played softball together for years. I just don't understand the motivation behind doing this. It doesn't make sense. I need you to talk to him. I realize he is big on jokes and pranks, but this is way over the top."

"I agree this is not something he would do." Sam began to understand the gravity of the situation. If something wasn't done, Mike would be going to jail. "Don't get me wrong, Mike's a bright guy, but this programming stuff is out of his league."

"Exactly", Andrew said pointing to Sam in an approving manner.

Sam tapped Andrew on the knee. "Keep doing what you're doing and don't get into any trouble. I'll be in touch over the weekend." She then got up to leave but he stopped her.

"One more thing", he said signaling her to get closer. "Marybeth and her team were able to trace where the file were sent. They analyzed each of the programs from each of the infected computers and found destination addresses." He paused to let the information sink in. He knew Sam understood what he was saying, but the look on her face was one of being overwhelmed.

"Addresses?" Sam said wondering how everything had gotten so confusing.

"With help from the FBI, we found the information had been sent to many different public computers within a 20 mile radius within the city. I suspect there is a small program running on each computer waiting to park these files when they come."

Sam sat back down, "Once the files are parked, all you would need to do is visit the computers and pick up the files."

"Or, call in to it with another program to transfer the file back out." Andrew then leaned back in his chair gratified he was able to get this off his chest.

The whole process now intrigued Sam. "So, how would these programs get on to these computers? I mean there are firewalls and such. Right?"

"Ah, that I am not sure of, but I would venture to say a thumb-drive with the computers outside of this business. Walk up, plug it in, and within seconds it is on the system and residing in hundreds of different places - especially if the computer is not turned off."

"And the systems in here would be a lot more difficult." Sam said matter of fact. Andrew just nodded. "But definitely much more difficult than your average Mike could think of."

Andrew just nodded some more, then raised his finger and interjected, "Unless he had help from someone in IT".

Sam got up to leave again. Pointing her finger at him, she said sternly, "Don't get yourself in trouble. I'll call you this weekend."

Andrew nodded again, then turned around and got back to work. Sam left the IT department to meet with Robert so they could get one the road.

Chapter 11

It was late on a Friday afternoon before a Holiday weekend, and Glenn was just as anxious to get home as everyone else in the building. Unfortunately, for him though, he was the President of a global organization and the legal document he was working on needed to be reviewed and approved before Monday morning. After all, Monday would not be a Holiday in Germany where the Aerospace Division of his organizing was located. Moreover, since he would be having dinner with Hans, the VP of that division, he can finish any discussion of this matter over steak and lobster.

A light knock came from his office door and Alice came in. "I am sorry for the interruption Glenn, but something urgent has come up."

Alice has been his secretary since he was elected as President, and she was also the secretary to his father during the time of his stewardship. An Irish woman now in her sixties, she was sharp as a tack and too old to take anyone's shit. She has always adored Glenn since the time she held him as a baby, and has, and will always call him Glenn.

"Yes Alice, what is it?"

"Aerospace in on the line", she said pointing to his phone.

"God damn it Alice! They'll get this damn agreement when I am done with it." His fists were clenched on the desk, but he did not look up at her. To yell at her would be like yelling at his mother. Besides, his anger wasn't directed at her.

"No, no, this has nothing to do with that. Something extraordinary has happened." There was excitement in her voice.

This caught his attention. The Aerospace Division has many pokers in the fire: a robotic mining operation on the moon, a space complex being built between the moon and earth, and several exploratory craft. "Is there something going on with L4?" Glenn said in a worried tone as he looked up at her.

L4 is the name given to the project for the space complex. It is short for Lagrangian 4, a location in space where the gravitational pull between the earth and the moon are neutralized. This allows an object that is placed there to remain in that location neutralized by the gravitational pull of the moon or Earth.

Without saying a word, Alice eagerly pointed to the phone encouraging Glenn to answer the call. Tapping a few keys on his computer, the display on the wall came to life. Then he switched the call into video mode, and a conference room in Germany came into view. The room was small, but was packed with many people with some sitting at the table.

"Good night to you Alfred. Everybody. What is keeping all of you at work tonight?"

Alfred was a lead scientist and managed many of the projects for that division.

"Good evening to you Glenn", Alfred responded. "We have some astonishing news." He paused for effect. He also want to assure himself that the connection was good and that he had Glenn's attention.

"Yes, go on." Glenn's patients were thin.

"Solarius has returned" Everyone in the conference room beamed with excitement. Two of the women who were standing did a small hop of excitement while clapping their hands.

"Wha.. what?", Glenn's mind went into overload.

Solarius was a large probe that was constructed in space because of its weight. It was designed and constructed to fly into the sun through one of the sun's spots. Since it was the first of its kind, it was expected to perform a suicide mission: fly towards the sun at 500,000 kilometers a second while transmitting information about its experience back to earth. The outer skin material of the probe was made from mined material from the moon, and it used a nuclear fueled engine to attain its speed. The equipment onboard were designed to transmit back to earth information about the Sun, the probe's environment, as well as its structural health and performance.

Glenn continued, not knowing what to say. "What do you mean it is back?"

"Its beacon was picked up about three days ago while Yin was doing a broadcast scan", Alfred said while making a gesture to a small Japanese woman standing next to him.

"Are you certain it is Solarius? There should be nothing left of it." Glen was rising from his seat. His voice was steady, but energy was building in his body. This miraculous event is totally unexpected, and if spun correctly, would make the value of the company's stock soar.

"Yes we are certain. In fact, we have been able to do a full data dump, and have completed the analysis just a few hours ago." When Alexander finished, he was standing straight and tall with his hands behind his back. With the white lab coat that he wore, he looked like a high school science teacher lecturing his students.

"Why isn't it a melted heap? I watched it enter the sun." Glenn's mind was in overload.

His thoughts bounced between the scientific significance and the business significance. Nevertheless, before Alexander could speak Glenn cut in. "Alexander, please be brief and concise. We're are all tired. Stick to the facts, I'll read the full brief latter."

"Well sir", he had to pause to rearrange his thoughts. "The data tells us that after passing the event horizon of the outer shell of the Sun, the temperature dropped significantly. The information after that is confusing, but the temperature rose again and the craft recorded its exit from the Sun's interior. Since Solarius was never programmed for this event, the guidance software reacted as if the craft was off course. It tried to gather positioning information, but could not align to any star or planet patterns. It therefore swung itself around, found the sunspot it just came out of, and went back into the Sun."

"Wait, wait wait," Glenn said putting up his finger and moving himself around his desk. Alice was standing motionless in front of his desk with her left hand in a fist covering her lips and her right arm tucked under her left elbow. Glenn could hear her saying "Oh dear" every once in a while. He gently grabbed her shoulders to move her away from his desk so that he could lean on it with his right hand. "You mean to tell me it flew through the Sun twice! And it is still working!"

"Yes Sir", Alexander said as he cleared his throat. "After it came out the second time, it's spent the rest of the fuel and the speed it had to escape the gravitational pull, and coasted along waiting to be heard" Then he waved his hand and said, "Well, then we heard it".

Glenn was stunned; his mind was in overload ready to short circuit. All he heard was a faint "Oh, dear" from Alice again.

"Where is it heading?" Glenn said.

"Out into space, it had come back out of the same spot it had gone into, but since the sun had rotated away from us, its trajectory is not at us."

Glenn held up a finger to signal a pause, and digested what Alexander had said. Something wasn't right, and he was trying to remember what was said. Then it clicked,

"You said it tried to reorient itself before pulling a U-turn to go back into the spot. Have you gone through the data to determine where it was?"

"We continue to go through the data, but I can tell you the patterns of the stars it recorded do not fit any patterns from our solar system."

Feeling completely exhausted, Glenn leaned on his desk and thought for a second. "Okay he said, continue to analyze the data. I would like a full brief of this event tomorrow before noon. Also, include in that brief how soon you could have the probes ready to launch. Finally, please have all of the craft's data up on the FTP portal for me to access."

Surprise by the last request, Alexander just cocked his head slightly. The report was ready, but they had not expected Glenn's requests. Rather than ask for some additional time, he looked around at the sad and exasperated eyes of some of the members of his group, and quickly answered, "Not a problem Sir, you'll have it before your lunch".

Glenn reached behind him, and touched a key on his laptop to terminate the call. With a low whistle, he turned back to see Alice staring at him; her eyes were wide open.

"Glenn, why didn't the craft melt? What did he mean when he said the temperature dropped?"

"I don't know Alice. The bigger question is, where did it go and come back from."

Chapter 12

Tiffany slowly awoke from her induced sleep in a groggy and disoriented state. Something soft was gently pulling at her left leg, then wrapping around her left foot. She could tell she was on her back, but she could not move her arms. She tried to move her legs, but they too were held in place. Blinking, she had difficulty focusing. She was under a bright light in what seemed to be a dark room. She tried to say something, but there was something in her mouth.

It took a few moments, but she noticed the soft rubbing had stopped and she began to awake to her surroundings. She was lying on her back on what felt like a padded bench, but it only went to the top of her lower back. Her legs were strapped at the calves, and long pads under her calves supported them. Looking to her left and right she saw that her arms were strapped to padded armrest that where only positioned under her lower arms. Her upper arms had no support, and she could move her hands freely.

She raised her head to look down towards her feet, and she saw that she was fully naked. She felt like she was strapped to an odd operating table. Fear struck her, and she began to panic. Her arms and legs were tied tight, so she tried to arch her back. Her torso could move freely, but she wasn't going anywhere with her limbs tied tight. She looked around but saw nothing but darkness.

Her eyes began to adjust and she stared down at her feet again, she saw someone move in the shadows. She tried to say something, but could only make muffled sounds. A wad of something was in her mouth, and she could feel the straps that held it in bind on her cheeks. The person in the shadows turned towards her, and began walking from the shadows. As he walked into the light, she could see that it was Dave (Preston), and that he was holding a towel. "Ah, my dear Tiffany, I could hear you were awake." He turned away and walked back into the shadows.

Tiffany tried to scream his name but her sounds were muffled. Frustrated and scared, she began to cry uncontrollably, and she was afraid she would choke on what was in her mouth. Dave emerged again, and walked to her left side.

"There, there, now relax and calm down", he said stroking her hair. In his other hand he held something that was larger than the towel he had just had. Tiffany began to calm herself, and she focused on his eye. She tried to say "please let me go", but she knew it was useless. As he stroked her head in an effort to calm her she got goose bumps, and realized that she was freezing. She began to shiver.

He unfolded the blanket he had carried over, and draped it over her. "I am sorry", he said. "I should have put this on you sooner. I know it gets really cold after the sponge bath." He then turned and walked back to the shadows.

Her mind went crazy. A sponge bath? What the hell is going on? I got to get out of here! She twisted her arms and kicked with her legs, but the leather straps only tore into her flesh. He appeared again at her left side. She tried to plead with him but the muffled sounds made no sense. He held a syringe up and tapped it with his left index finger, and then she saw some fluid squirt out. Tears began running down the sides of her head as she fought to loosen the grips around her arms. He grabbed her left hand, and she felt a warm burning sensation running up her arm.

"This will make you sleep for a few hours," he said as he walked back to the shadows again. "Then you'll be nice and refreshed." He sounded almost giddy.

She continued to struggle, but she felt the cloud coming on. She fought to keep her eyes open, but couldn't. Then, her left eye was forced opened, and she saw him. He was holding her eye open with one hand, and with the other, he held a black contact lens. He placed the lens on the eye, and everything went dark. A few seconds later, the he did the same to her right eye. Her world had become dark, and she feared for the next time she would be awake.

Chapter 13

The two and a half hour drive to the campsite had been aggravating and boring for Sam. It started with having to stop at Robert's apartment so that he could pick up his clothes. He was supposed to bring his pack to work with him so they could get on the road right from work; but he had forgotten it. Agitated, she had pressed him with questions regarding his early arrival at work this morning and forgetting his clothes, but he wouldn't give her a suitable answer. They had talked a little about the events that occurred that day and she mentioned the dinner at Glenn's estate. However, twenty minutes into the ride, Robert was sound asleep.

She spent the remaining two hours of the drive replaying conversations in her head, making phone calls to Andrew to see if any new information had come from the data, and playing with the radio trying to find a decent song. As she turned into the park, she reached over and shook Robert until he woke up. He was surprised they were already at the park.

"Wow, did I sleep the entire trip?"

"Yep." Her response was short, clearly, she wasn't happy. Then she pulled out her cell phone and began to call Mike.

"Sorry", he said and he turned to look out his window. As Sam found out which site he was at, Robert wondered about how the weekend was going to pan out. Normally Sam is a different person outside of work. She was fun and engaging, always laughing and kidding around with the group. Now she seemed to be in her work mode, and that is anything but fun. He guessed they had a few minutes before meeting up with Mike, so he thought he would try and chip away some of the ice.

"Sorry, I dozed off like that. I don't normally sleep in the car."

"No problem", she lied. "It didn't seem like you were in a talkative mood anyway," she said skirting the issue.

Robert knew she was talking about what happened to him that morning. He wasn't ready to talk about it, so he was relieved that he had fallen asleep.

"Has there been any news from work, any new developments?" he said looking over at her. If she was angry, she wasn't showing it now.

"No, dead silence. Actually, I am a little concerned. I expected some more information from Andrew." She took a right off the main road onto a spur. She followed it through the trees, to a large grassy clearing. Mike's SUV was ahead on the right.

The clearing was several hundred yards in diameter surrounded by trees. They gathered their things, locked the car, and hiked the one-hundred yards through the woods to their campsite. Mike wasn't around so Sam went to the smaller of the two tents, and thru her gear in it. Robert just dropped his gear beside the other tent's door.

Mike had set the tents beside one another in a clearing away from the tree line. The clearing was irregular, about one-hundred feet at its widest point; the opening of the tents faced a path that went up a steep hill. This path would eventually lead to the summit of the mountain. To its right was a large rock wall. The top of which was accessed by the same path. Sometimes, they would climb this rock wall when they stayed at this site. The rest of the area around them was heavily wooded with small paths going off in different directions. Between the tents and the summit path was the fire pit. The rocks were arranged around the fire pit, but there was no wood in it yet. Logs and large stones were situated around the fire pit for places to sit.

Sam sat on one of the logs with her back to the tents so that she faced the path that went up to the summit. With her elbows on her knees, and her chin in the palms of her hands, she sat quietly waiting for Mike. Robert called out to Mike a few times, but there was no answer. He took a seat on one of the stones to Sam's right with his back to the rock wall. Looking at the state Sam was in, he knew this was going to be a bad evening. Feeling bad about the car ride, he decided to try to make some amends.

"Hey, I am really sorry about the ride up", he said lightly to see if she would talk to him.

Tilting her head to him so that it now rested in the palm of her left hand, "No big deal. In fact, I probably would not have been in a talkative mood anyway."

She smiled. She knew she wasn't being her normal self, but she wasn't one to put on an act either. However, she did realize that he might have thought he was the blame for her mood. She adjusted her sitting position and straightened her back.

"Sorry I am so quiet; I was hoping to have better news for Mike by the time we got here."

"I know what you mean. He's going to freak out when he hears the Feds are looking for him. Why don't you try to get Andrew again while we are waiting?"

"Great idea." she said and she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number. Within a few seconds, Andrew answered on the other end. Before they got too far into the conversation, she put him on speakerphone and told him Robert was with her.

"You're with Robert?" His tone was a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Yea, we are up at the campsite waiting for Mike to appear", she quickly answered trying to avoid the awkward questions that were about to follow.

"I thought the trip had been canceled?" Clearly, he wasn't willing to leave this subject yet.

"Well, Mike had been up here most of the day, so we decided to come out and join him and maybe do some hiking tomorrow. Anyway, what have you learned since we last spoke?"

She needed to get the conversation on the right track. The last thing she wanted was to give too much information about their weekend, and then on Tuesday the rumor mill would be spinning.

"Well, I am now 60% through all of the files and there is still no discernable match between any file. So, not much has changed other than I was caught. Steven was a little agitated that I involved so many other computers, but when I explained that people's productivity was down anyway because its a Friday before a Holiday, he lighten up a bit. He was also expecting more than what we have. The information that is out there has no discernable value collectively or in pieces, so he seeing it as a bad prank that has wasted a lot of recourses."

Robert began to get distracted. He heard noises behind him, and he felt like he was being watched.

Sighing a little, Sam responded, "So then Mike is off the hook?"

"Well... no. Someone's butt will be in the sling for this. Glenn is applying a lot of pressure to quote, "'nail the bastard". Moreover, the Feds are still interested. Obviously, they're recognizing this as a non-threat but the breach is still a serious situation."

"Damn!" Sam said with frustration in her voice.

Robert was up and looking around at the wall behind him. He was actually afraid to go near the wooded area beside the rock wall. Sam started to watch him.

Andrew responded to her exasperation, "Sam, be careful how far you go to protect Mike. Don't put it past Glenn, he would drive the bus over you as well."

Sam felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She did like Mike, both personally as well as professionally.

"I got to go Sam. I will call you tomorrow when all of the files are done".

Sam clicked the phone off and watched Robert as he bobbed around trying to see into the bushes of the forest around them.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Gathering firewood", a masculine voice came from behind her. She spun around to see Mike with his arms loaded with enough wood that he could barely see over the pile.

Sam quickly jumped up. "Mike! The joy in her voice was unmistakable. "Ah, why didn't you answer when we called for you?" She quickly added to disguise her obvious joy in seeing him.

"Wow, jeez", he said acting disappointed. "It's good to see you too." He continued to walk around her towards the fire pit.

Mike was 32, tall, six foot 2 inches, with dark wavy hair at a length that just covered his ears. With brown eyes and olive skin, he had a Mediterranean look with chiseled features. He was well built, weighed around 210 pounds, and Sam couldn't help but study his bulging biceps as he walked past her.

"Hey, let me help you there," Robert said turning around after hearing Mike's voice. He met Mike at the fire pit, and unloaded the first three pieces from Mike's arms. With the load a little lighter, Mike stooped a little then dropped the rest.

Mike gave Robert a firm handshake, then pulled him close and gave him a hug. Then he turned to Sam to enjoy her smile, then said, "So I am not off the hook, eh."

"Huh, what...what hook?" her smile was gone and she was clearly puzzled.

"You were just talking about me on the phone, and clearly you were disappointed when you asked if I was off the hook. So, what do you have me roped into?" He sat on a log across from Sam. Robert arranged the wood Mike had brought, and Sam returned to the spot on her log.

Waving her hands and shaking her head, "No, no, I didn't get you involved with anything. It appears you done this all on your own. Clearly, one of your pranks has gone terribly wrong."

"Prank?" Now Mike was the confused person. "The last prank I pulled was a couple of weeks back when I kept replacing the handset of your desk phone with the one that had a bad microphone." He started laughing. "How many different phones did they bring to your desk? Three? Four?"

"Five." She said in a monotone, unamused voice.

Mike went hysterical. "I kept running over switching the handset every time you left your cubicle." He was laughing so hard tears were running down the sides of his face. "Hey Robert, you were keeping watch for me."

He turned towards Robert, but Robert was not engaged in their conversation. He was looking up the cliff wall at what they called the 'perch'. About 20 feet off the ground was a ledge where the wall cut back about five to seven feet. Sometimes they would climb the wall to that point and just sit there drinking their beer.

"Hey Robert!" Mike said trying to get his attention.

Robert got up and walked towards the cliff. Turning back to Mike and Sam, he pointed up to the perch and asked Mike, "What did you put up there?"

"Nothing".

"Something is up there making strange noises".

"Robert there is nothing up there. I been here all day, and have heard nothing. Now come on over and I'll get us some beers."

Not satisfied with Mike's explanation, Robert began to scale the wall.

"Robbie, come on, it's getting late. The sun will be down in a half hour." Sam called out to him, but he was already half way up the wall.

"Really, I think you are hearing things." She started to get concerned. He was nearly at the ledge, and had paused to work on a foothold.

Reaching up, he could feel the crest of the edge. He had scaled this wall many times, and he knew where the foot and handholds were. He moved both hands so that they were past the edge, and onto the flat surface above. Securing his feet in the next footholds he thrusted himself up and landed his upper body onto the perch.

Without warning, an ear-piercing screech came from the back wall. From out of the shadows, a large brown mass expanded and raced towards him. Startled, Robert instinctively moved away from the on-rushing mass and fell backwards away from the wall. Freefalling, he watched as a large brown bird, with a large sharp beak came hurtling over the edge after him. Its talons wide open, he watched as each grab him under the armpits and pulled him into the chest of the bird. He felt as if the huge bird was going to carry him away. But then, a sharp pain shot through him as he felt the back of his shoulders hit the ground.

Then all went dark.

Chapter 14

The screech made Sam shake, and she and Mike watched Robert fall backwards away from the wall. Sam let out a brief scream, and started moving toward Robert, but Mike grabbed her arm. A massive bird swooped over the cliff's edge and grabbed Robert in mid fall. It looked as though it was going to carry him away, but Robert was too heavy and they landed together with a loud thud on the ground about 15 feet away from Mike and Sam. Shaking, all Sam could say was, "Oh my God!"

Robert was motionless. The bird repositioned itself; standing on Robert's chest it turn towards Mike and Sam, and stared at them. Mike put his left arm in front of Sam, and moved her back behind him a little. Sam grabbed hold of his shoulder and arm to let him know she was going any further.

"What are we going to do?" She whispered in his ear. "It doesn't look like it's going away."

"Maybe it thinks Robert is his next meal." Mike said very slowly and cautiously. "I think it's a bird of prey, so maybe ... I don't know."

"No," Sam said with nervousness in her voice. "That's a big fucking bird of prey. It looks like an eagle, but doesn't have a white head."

"Stand back." Mike said as he slowly stooped down and reached over to the fire pit that was to his right. He grabbed a thick branch that made a good size club. Feeling its weight and making a chopping action, he slowly moved towards Robert and the bird. Lowering its head, the bird unfurled its wings. When fully extended, they covered the full length of Roberts body. It opened its mouth and made a loud hissing sound.

Mike stopped dead in his tracks. He realized that the sun was setting fast now, and there was little light to see by. He figured it would be now or never. Slowly he took a step forward, and the bird let out another screech as loud as the one that startled Robert. It hopped off Robert to advance towards Mike. Mike stopped dead again, and so did the bird.

"Mike, Mike, get back here!" Sam said in a loud whisper. He glanced back at her while trying to keep an eye on the bird, and he saw her pointing to her feet as if he were a misbehaved dog. She continued in the raspy whisper, "I swear, if you don't..."

Realizing he was probably making the situation worse, he backed off a bit. It was then he noticed a dull clang from somewhere in the woods. "What was that?" he said. His nerves were on edge and he looked around. The bird had relaxed its wings, but continued to stand its ground. The clanging became louder and more frequent and sounded like someone was walking with tin pans. "Did you hear that?" he said in a normal voice.

"Yea, I heard it", Sam responded. As with Mike, she was looking around quickly, but her feet were frozen in place. Then there was a louder clang, and from the trees and bushes on the other side of Robert appeared a large mule with an old lady walking behind it. Mike began to back up towards Sam. When he got within her arm's reach, she grabbed him and pulled him in front of her again.

The mule continued to walk around Robert and stood beside the bird. It bowed its head slightly towards the bird and let out a slight whine. The bird seemed to respond with a clucking sound. The mule then shook itself slightly, making the pots and other items strapped to its back clatter and bang. The woman had stopped at Roberts head, stooped down, and touched the sides of his head. After a moment, she stood and walked towards Sam and Mike and stood between the mule and the bird. She looked down at the bird, said a few words in Spanish in what seemed to be a harsh tone. The bird squawked loudly and sidestepped to move away from her.

Sam and Mike were speechless. Between them and Robert was a very large mule, which stood about 17 hands, a tiny old Spanish woman with gray straggly hair and messy clothes, and a visibly agitated large bird.

"Why don't you put that stick down dear?" the old woman said gently.

"Who are you?" Sam said quickly moving from behind Mike to stand beside him.

"Please, call me Saria." She said as she nodded to Sam. She then looked at Mike, and then gestured to the branch he was still holding.

Not wanting to let go of his only weapon he said, "Oh, I don't know Saria. It seems that where you come from they may grow the animals awfully big, but not the people."

Sam gave him a swift wacked in the gut with the back of her hand. He continued, "So I am not letting this go until I can get to my friend".

She smiled, "Well, if it wasn't for this young lady here", Saria said gesturing to Sam, then continuing slowly, "I would have thought I had run into some big, dumb Neanderthal, who feels manly because he can swing a stick." Sam couldn't help but smile.

"Now let me tell you what will happen next," Saria continue in a soft genital voice, "Uriel here" moving her left hand towards the bird, "will fly at you very quickly. So quickly, especially in the dark, that you won't have time to accurately judge were to swing your club. Now he will get his talons in you, and do a little bit of damage." She paused to watch his reaction. Mike moved his feet to adjust his weight. "The real problem for you though will be Reme here", she continued using her right thumb to point to the mule next to her. "You don't want his 1700 odd pounds coming down on you."

"Mike put the stick down." Sam's voice was confident and she took a few steps towards the woman. Mike took a few moments to weigh his options, but decided to toss the branch into the fire pit.

Smiling, Saria said, "You see Reme, man can be taught." Mike glared at her. "Now be a good boy and start us a fire while us girls check out the boy."

Sam gave Mike a nod, and with a reluctant pause he turned away with a huff, and went back to his gear to get what he needed to start the fire. Uriel took flight and went back to the perch and Sam followed Saria back over to Robert. They both knelt next to Robert's head, and Saria put her hands against the sides of his head again.

"Will he be okay?" Sam said nervously.

"Oh yes, he'll be fine."

"We thought he was dead, and the bird was going to eat him." Sam said with emotion in her voice.

"Oh, I am sorry dear. Uriel can be a little rambunctious, but he would never intentionally hurt your friend. Can you help me carry him over to the fire?"

"Is it safe to move him?"

"Well, believe it or not, I do have some training in this area. Fortunately, he didn't hit his head. There aren't any bumps or bruises, and his breadth is strong." Saria said as she fixed his hair. "No, I just think he was knocked unconscious."

"Well I suppose it would be best to keep him warm".

Saria got up and grabbed his feet, while Sam held him under the shoulders. It was a short walk over to the fire pit. Mike saw them coming and quickly put a blanket down to lay Robert on.

Chapter 15

Mike had prepared chicken and vegetables for dinner, and Sam fed Reme some apples and granola bars. During the meal, Mike allowed Sam to control the conversation. He knew she had a better rapport with Saria. Though Saria spoke a lot, she said very little. She told them she has been traveling with Uriel and Reme for some time, and happened to be passing through. Uriel would often fly off ahead and catch them some food, while her and Reme walked along with each other.

"You said earlier you had medical training". Sam was acting relaxed, but was trying to chip away at the edges of the mysterious old woman.

"Well, in the village where I lived in for some time, I was the one who took care of all the sick and injured." Her voice was soft and consoling.

"Great, just what we need", Mike was very weary of Saria, and had been sarcastic most of the evening. "A Witch Doctor." He poked at the fire and refused to look up.

Saria took a sip from her water bottle and smiled. She needed a lot of patience with Mike. "Don't worry about your friend."

"Will Robert will be alright?" Sam asked Saria.

"Robert is in good hands. He will watch over him." Saria said staring up at the stars in the night sky

"Him? What do you mean him?" Sam said.

"The Great Parent, the One. He watches over all of us". Saria said in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Tsk!" Mike said aloud. "God? Really! Robert falls twenty feet, lands flat on his back, and is attacked by your stupid bird, and you're going to sit there and say he's tight with some God!" He looked over at Sam. "And she calls me a stupid caveman."

"So, you do not believe there is a God or that it is possible that there is a greater power than our own?" Saria's voice had a curious tone toward Mike.

Sam needed to defuse the conversation before it got started. She knew Mike's belief system, and that this conversation would get very messy. "I don't think he believes, or disbelieves. He's an Engineer. He questions everything." Mike sat back and smiled, at least someone understood him.

"So you have no faith?" Saria seemed surprised.

"Faith is like walking into a dark room and hoping you don't stub your toe. If there isn't a light switch, then I'm not going in." Mike said.

Saria shook her head, "Mike, there is no growth without risk. If you don't go into the dark room, you might miss out on your own surprise party."

Mike smirked; he didn't like being trumped by the old woman.

She continued, "Okay, answer me this, you're the Engineer. Where did these trees come from?"

"A seed", he said flatly.

"We all know that a tree begins with a seed that can get lost in your pocket with your change. However, these trees tower above you. Where did they come from?"

"From the soil and water, of course." Mike was a little annoyed with the elementary question.

"Okay", she said. "Water and soil. Well, when the tree dies and stops sucking up water, you can't put it back in your pocket, nor could you even lift it. And if the tree grew by sucking minerals out of the soil, then why didn't it grow into the earth and replace the minerals it was sucking up?"

"I don't know it is not something science understands yet." Raising his arms, Mike showed some frustration.

"Well that's curious, your science can build machines that go into outer space or work on the moon, but it doesn't understand where matter comes from for a tree to grow?"

"Listen," Mike was beginning to show his annoyance, "until the man upstairs comes down here, stands in front of me and performs a miracle, I am not buying into the myths, fairytales, and legends."

"A miracle you say." Saria said after taking another sip of water.

"Yea. An honest to goodness miracle. No magician's pallor trick or raising the dead; we can do that one now." He knew there would be no response, "Yes, a miracle that defies Mother Nature herself." Confident he had ended the conversation, he sat back against his rock.

Saria nodded, tighten the cap of the plastic bottle half full with water, and tossed it onto Mike's lap. Startled, he sat up straight.

"There's your miracle", Saria said pointing to the bottle of water.

Sam sat up to watch Mike's reaction to the old woman's spunk. Being a Christian, and having heard Mike's rhetoric before, she knew to stay out of the conversation. But suddenly there was a spark; someone is now challenging Mike beyond his normal finish line.

"What, a plastic bottle? What is so miraculous about a plastic bottle?" Mike said with a chuckle in his voice.

"Not the bottle, but the water in the bottle." Saria said as she leaned forward to stare at him. "You see, water is the miracle you speak of. It is the one molecule required for all life on this planet to exist. Without it, there would be no life. It is the only molecule on this planet that defies the laws of nature. And because it does defies the laws of nature, life exists." Seeing that Mike was not going to respond, she continued.

"Unlike any other material, it expands when it cools and turns into a solid. Since it does this, when a lake freezes over in cold temperatures it expands continually breaking around the edges. This allows animals on land easy means to get to the water, while also allowing other animals in the water to get to the surface. It also does not get more dense when it freezes like all other materials, it actual gets less dense. It therefore, floats on the lake. So instead of sinking and trapping the life on the bottom, it actually helps protect the life that is under it."

"From the coldness of the emptiness of space", she continued, "to the extreme heat of the surface of the Sun, that molecule can exist in all 3 states in the tiny sliver of temperature that exists here on this planet. And because it does exist in those three states with such a minimal change in temperature, life exists on this planet. Within those few degrees, and what little change in pressure, that molecule continuously transforms through its three phases. As a vapor, it will rise into the atmosphere, taking itself to places far above the sea. Then it condenses as water where it will fall to land to provide water for life to live. Sometimes, it will land on top of a mountain where it will freeze and be stored as snow, so water can be provided at a later time for life to thrive. "

Knowing she had Mike's attention, she settled back to finish. "You see, water is your miracle. No life can exist without it. And if it didn't defy nature or work so uniquely with this planet, no life would exist.

Sam saw that Mike was struggling to come back at Saria, and she knew he would have to say something; he always had to have the last word in these awkward conversations. Taking advantage of the pause, Sam saw the opportunity to distract Mike, and decided to change the subject to what had happened at work that day.

Having no interest in that conversation, Saria slid over to the end of the log she was sitting on, and put her hand on Roberts shoulder. "Okay Robert," she said quietly, "time for us to talk".

Chapter 16

The mood was electric, the food was delicious, and Glenn was on top of the world. He opened the night with a toast to the return of Solarius, and from that moment on nothing could go wrong. The possibilities that where now open to the company boggled his imagination. Each of his dinner guests shared his enthusiasm, and saw opportunities to increase their power and influence within the company.

Naturally, Hans Noland, the VP of Aerospace, spoke endlessly about the growth potential of his division. He was a tall man, in his mid-fifties, and weighed a tad over 250 pounds. He had salt and pepper hair, and piercing blue eyes that were on fire as he boasted about his organization, and the possibilities they had opened to the business.

Salvador DeMento, VP of the Mining and Materials division, was born and raised in Italy. He had just turned fifty, yet still had jet black hair that was combed back and held in place with styling gel. He was the quietest of the bunch, continually stroking his prominent black mustache as his dark brown eyes seemed to gaze into infinity. One group of his division was tightly dependent on Han's organization. Having reached the maximum growth with his lunar operation, he now refocused his energies from mining other planets to getting inside the Sun. Therefore, he listen closely to what Hans said and commented accordingly.

Finally, Norris Feltham was from Britain, but strongly preferred having his homeland referred to the United Kingdom. His ancestry could be traced back a thousand years, and he held an air that he was privileged. He was the VP of the Global Marketing Group, was very thin and had a touch of gray in his short brown hair that was parted on one side. Conquering and colonizing were in his blood, and he now saw an opportunity to dominate the company's rivals beyond the Earth and Moon.

"Well Gentlemen", Glenn said as he swirled the wine in his glass, "there are lots of ideas being lofted about. But what we need now are answers. Hans, I had asked your group to determine how quickly we can get another probe ready. We will need to give it more intelligence, and Salvador we will need material without jeopardizing L4."

"Da." Hans said quickly, "this is a good idea. I will manage its development personally." He settled back into his chair and all eyes turned towards Salvador.

Stroking his mustache, he began nodding his head and took the moment to finish his wine. "This should not be a problem", he said but raised a finger. "However, I would like to add a contingency reserve to my support budget in case we need to increase our presence at the mining and production facility, say $2.5 million US."

Glenn smiled. He knew Salvador only needed half of that amount, but saw no reason to dampen the evening. Smacking his hand on the table, "Done, submit the proposal and I'll sign it". There was laughter around the table.

Their dinner meeting was being held at what they called the Warehouse. This was a secretive site known only to Glenn, his closest advisors, Preston, and Glenn's personal cook. It was located in a rundown area of the city's industrial district along the water front, and share the block with similar dilapidated buildings. Though the outside of the building looked miserable, a structure had been built inside it that was elaborately decorated to match Glenn's taste. It had a state-of-the-art kitchen, a formal dining room that could comfortably seat 16 guests, 3 sleeping quarters, and an area they called the Game Room.

Preston came from the kitchen holding an uncorked bottle of wine, "Gentlemen, would you like another glass of wine, or something stronger for after dinner?"

Salvador waved Preston over, then took the bottle from Preston, "Don't worry, I'll take care of emptying this for you." he said jovially.

Hans waved to Preston, "Is my favorite beer on tap?" He said signaling to the door of the Game Room with his thumb.

Preston nodded, "As always." He then looked at Norris.

"Ah, please, Preston do pick me out one of your favorite single malts."

"I'll bring it to you, Norris," he said with a nod. Then he looked over to Glenn. "How about you sir?"

"Hell, I'll stick close to Salvador here." Glenn said with a hardy laugh. Just because it's from your home town, you're not getting away with drinking an entire $200.00 bottle of wine." Then everyone laughed as Salvador cuddled the bottle close to his chest.

"Ah, very good then." Preston said enjoying the moment with the rest of them. "Are we ready to move on to the entertainment for this evening?"

Hans made a loud clap with his hands, and then rubbed them together. "Ah, this is good! Time for some Poke Her! I believe we are all ready."

"Excellent." Preston said as he straight his stance as pulled the sleeves of his suit jacket taught. "Allow me a few minutes for the preparation."

With a nod, he walked around to the rear of the room, and went through the double doors that lead to the Game Room. Salvador eyed Glenn, then swirled the wine in his glass.

"As you know Glenn," Salvador said and then cleared his throat, "there is a lingering question regarding where Solarius had been before returning back to our Solar System."

"Yes, that has weighed heavily on my mind. It is very intriguing mystery." Glenn knew where Salvador wanted to take this conversation, but the subject was a touchy one.

Salvador tipped his glass towards Glenn as a gesture to put him on the spot. "There is only one person with the expertise to develop the algorithms to do the spatial positioning in the time allotted."

"Yes, I know Salvador. Unfortunately, I am afraid he has become entwined with his new life." Glenn finished with a sigh that accented his frustration.

"Well, you will need to speak with Preston." Salvador spoke cautiously as he set his glass down on the table. "It has been a couple of years now since he wrote the spatial positioning algorithms for the L4 program, and no one today can match a single line of his code."

Hans fidgeted in his seat as he cleared his throat and tapped his cigar over the ashtray. "I would beg to differ with your naïve comprehension…"

"Hans," Glenn interrupted quickly to diffuse the situation, "Salvador is merely stating what I have been thinking for the last several hours. There is no one in your group, or in all of IT, that could write the code in the time period necessary to meet the next launch three weeks from now."

Hans was visibly upset that a chink in the armor around his group has been so openly exposed. He wanted to respond, to repair the damage, but clearly, Glenn's mind had settled on the thought.

"It will be a touchy subject, but I am sure I can convince him to contribute to the program. After all, he has been dabbling in other small software projects as he's been sitting around the pool."

"Well," Norris spoke up since he felt the need to be part of the conversation, "it is a good thing you have kept him close."

"And happy." Salvador added.

"Yes, close and happy." Glenn said with a smile. "Speaking of close and happy," Glenn waved his arm to the door that led to the Game Room, "what do you say we get close to our guest and make ourselves happy?"

Salvador was the first to stand. Facing Hans, he held his glass up to him. "No ill feelings old friend?"

"Nah, business is business. I can take what I dish out." Hans said with a nod.

"Unfortunately, you dish out much more than you take." Glenn said quickly.

All four men laughed as they walked to the door. They all knew where they stood with each other. None of them trusted any of the other.

Chapter 17

The Game Room was a large square plush room that measured forty feet on all sides. Thick carpeting surrounded the perimeter of the room's center, which was a mosaic porcelain tile. They entered the room through a door that was in the middle of one of the walls. To either side of the door were comfortable seating areas with leather couches and glass top tables.

Along the wall to the left was a large fully stocked bar that was currently unattended. Along with several bar stools, there were additional seating areas. On the opposite wall were the two large walk in wine refrigerators, and a wine storage room. There were a few game tables and some chairs sporadically place along this wall. The wall at the far end of the room was a luxurious men's and women's lavatory/locker-room complete with showers and multi-person hot tubs.

Tonight, in the center of the room was a large stainless steel pedestal type table. It was resting on the floor on a three-foot diameter sphere that was half sunk into the floor. This allowed the table to be electronically spun and positioned in different positions. Coming out of the top sphere were four curved three-inch diameter tubes. Strapped to these tubes were Tiffanies arms and legs. Each of the tubes could be rotated to move each of her arms and legs separately. A fifth tube that came out of the top of the sphere, was surrounded by the other four tubes, and had the long pad that supported her head and upper back.

The table was currently positioned with a 45 degree tilt so that Tiffany's' naked body was clearly displayed as they walked in. Her arms were straight out, while her legs were slightly spread. The only lights on in the room were above her. The room was warm, causing each of the men to remove their jackets and loosen their ties.

Norris took the lead in approaching her. "Ooh, she Asian", he said in a childishly excited manner. Then he turned to Glenn, "Glenn you shouldn't have."

Each of the men positioned themselves around the foot of the table to study her. Glenn admired the time and effort Preston put into the presentation. Her skin was smooth and flawless. Though she was thin, she had nice curves and shapely thighs. Her breasts were slightly larger and firmer than he would have expected. Then he saw the tell-tail scars that told her breast had been improved.

Norris took a step forward to walk up along her left side. He couldn't help but admire her flat stomach and the smoothness of her skin around her hip area. He became hard just looking at her, and needed to feel her warmth.

"Nah, ah." Glenn quickly said. "You know the rules, the person who antes up the highest bid, gets first dibs". The remaining men moved forward so they could all be seen in the light.

"Ten thousand!" Norris said hoping to cut thing off early.

"Ooh." Salvador said impressed by the first bid. "Somebody is too Horney. What's the matter Norris, haven't been laid recently?"

This brought laughter from both Hans and Glenn. "I'll go to $15,000", Salvador said saluting with the bottle.

Norris was visibly annoyed. "Hans? What say you?"

Hans noticed the breast enhancements and the shaved pubic area. He had a good feeling she was an experienced whore, so he had to ask. "Preston, how much millage is on this one?"

"Well, I can tell you she has been around. So she is not a tight as you would think."

"Okay, then I'll bid $16,000", satisfied to be in a position where he would be out bid.

The bidding continued until Norris won with a top bid of $30,000, Glenn took the second slot at $29,000, Salvador would be the third in with a $25,000 bid, and Hans had stopped bidding early on with $16,000 bid. Preston recorded the bids, nodded to the Gentlemen, and then left the room. Each of the men walked past Tiffany to change in the men's locker room.

Tiffany had been awake for a while and was nervous. She was fearful about what was going to happen to her. Was this some kind of freaky session with Dave? Was he going to keep her locked up as some kind of sex slave? She knew of girls that have been kidnapped and sold to foreign countries. Was she on display?

She could feel the air moving around her, but the black contacts and music through the headphones made her blind and deaf to the world. She sensed someone was there, and tried to see any change in light through the lenses; but they were totally black. She did not want to make any noises. She thought since the music wasn't too loud she would be able to hear something.

After a few moments, the air had gone still again, and she convinced herself she was imaging things. It wasn't until three songs later, that she had the feeling someone was close to her. Panic began to set in as every nerve in her body search for some type of information. A touch, a movement of air, even a sound that was out of sync with the music, anything to break the tension of the isolation.

Then she felt it. A light touch of a single finger on the skin of her stomach below her navel. She began to get nervous. Her mind started to race as she anticipated the sharp pain of a knife blade cutting into her skin. She began to shake nervously, uncontrollably, until the finger became a warm hand and it began to slowly, lightly rub her stomach. Another hand reached beneath her to hold one of the cheeks of her ass. As the hand on her stomach began to move further down, she felt light kisses, first on her stomach than on her breasts.

Without warning, she felt her legs being spread apart by the table they were strapped to. She tried to fight it. She struggled against it with her legs, but there was no stopping the movement. She then tried to scream, but nothing could be heard. She couldn't understand why this was happening. Dave knew she was a Prostitute. She had had plenty of kinky sex with him. She had also had plenty of high profile clients. Why was she blinded from what was going on around her.

She had no control, and could not resist the penetration when it happened. She wasn't ready, and the pain rocketed through her body. She tensed and screamed, and tried to wiggle herself way away from the onslaught. The once soft hands were now digging into the skin of her hips as the repeated penetration tore into her. Then, without warning, she felt the vibrator forced into her ass. The pain brought white lights to her blinded eyes. She felt the scream leave her throat, only to be replaced with what had been used to gag her as she took a deep breath.

She then realized that both hands were still gripped tight around her hips, and that someone else was thrusting the vibrator into portions of her anal cavity where it did not belong. A third hand then grabbed her right breast, and pinched down hard on her nipple. With so much pain at once, she felt faint, and prayed that she could fall into a dark sleep to block out what was happening to her.

She was overcome with relief as she felt her Rapist had finished. Her whole body relax and slump on the strange bed. She felt her weight shift downward slightly and she slid a slight amount until her arm pits rested on some pads. Then fear jolted her body again, as the hands returned. However, these hands were different. They were not nearly as gentle as the first. They squeezed her breast hard, and she felt someone bite down hard on her nipple. She immediately went into an uncontrollable fit. Lunging her body in as many different ways as possible. The use of her hands were gone because of the bindings around her wrists, and she started to cry.

Something tight gripped her left bicep, and then she felt a pinch in her arm. When the pressure was released, the burning sensation raced up her arm as something was being injected into her. In her mind she screamed, 'No, no, please don't do this'. She felt the familiar feel of Dave's cocktail. First, the buzz she would get when she snorted cocaine, then the warm sensation around her pelvic area. Her body began to relax and the sensations started. She felt herself getting wet as her body began to crave the feel of a man inside her. She could feel all of her nerve screaming to be caressed. So many times before, this had been a pleasant sensation. Something she had looked forward to when Dave would show up at the Motel. But this time, she did all she could to fight her body's cravings.

She began to cry as she felt a set of hands messaging her. Her body craved more, as she tried to resist. The hands were magnificent. Reaching to places she had never felt before. She felt her body relax, and to begin moving with the hands. They lead her along, teasing her, making her come, making her feel as if it were a completely new experience. But the vibrator entered her again, and a whole new round of pain began.

The onslaughts continued for hours. At times, the pain was so bad, she knew she must have been bleeding. She would struggle and move about, but it would be quickly met with another injection. By the time she received the fifth injection she was so stoned, her mind was blocking out what her body was feeling. She was awake, but was hiding in the deep recesses of her mind. Hiding from the horror. Waiting for the time, she could roll up into a ball and fade away.

It was early in the morning when Preston stepped into the Game Room to see how things were going. The four men were sound to sleep on different couches or slumped in chairs. Tiffany's body laid motionless on the table, and blood could be seen coming her vaginal and anal areas. The men had brutalized her. He walked up to her and moved her sweaty hair to look at the beautiful face that he so admired. Smeared with makeup and sweaty, she looked much different now in this numbed state.

He checked her pulse; it was faint. From the needle marks in her arm, he could tell they had injected his cocktail into her arm many times. "Sad", he said to himself. He walked over to the bar, opened a little box and put some white powder in a spoon. Using a lighter on the bar, he liquefied the power and sucked it up into a syringe.

Tomorrow morning, Tiffany would be found tucked in a corner, under an overpass, all cleaned up and wearing her knit skirt and tank top. With the needle marks in her arms, and a syringe and other paraphernalia beside her body, the police will write up their report as just another whore who over dosed on heroin.

Chapter 18

The feeling of someone touching his shoulder awoke Robert. He opened his eyes to find he was in the dark void he had been in during his last dream earlier that day. All around him in deep red were the trees and bushes of the forest. The images were smeared and all bled off in one direction. Remembering the choking sensation from the last visit here, he jumped away from the hand on his shoulder and spun around to defend himself. Besides him, stood a little old Spanish woman with long white hair.

"What do you want with me?" He said quickly. "Who are you?"

"Hello Robert, my name is Saria." She said with a smile. "I am here to help you". She looked him over. "This place frightens you?" She said sensing his fear.

Backing up a little, Robert responded, "The last time I had this dream, I almost didn't wake up."

"Ah, uh", she replied nodding her head. "We'll get into that in a little bit." Her tone was very conversational. "Tell me what you see."

He did not quite understand her question, and tried to think if there was something more to the question then he expected. She nodded slightly encouraging him to answer her.

He began to look around. "Well, I see the forest but all of the trees and bushes have a deep red glow. As he kept turning around, he saw Mike and Sam talking with one another a few feet away, beside the fire pit. They had an orange smeared glow to them, and the fire was bright but did not give off any heat. He looked down to see an orange smeared version of himself on the ground. Looking back up at Mike and Sam, he started to move toward them.

Saria grabbed his shoulder again. "Robert..."

He stopped and looked back at her, "Did I die in the fall?"

"No," she said grabbing both his hands to turn him towards her. "You are very much alive. You are not asleep, you are ..." she pause to search for a word, "in a trance. You have been given a gift, and I am here to help you understand."

"A gift? What kind of a gift? Why does everything look so strange?"

"Things look strange because your mind is struggling with the information it is receiving. As you begin to understand, things will become much clearer. You are scientific in your thought process, correct?" Robert nodded to her. "Good, I'll speak in reference to that to help you understand."

"Okay, let's start with the strange colors first. It's very unnerving."

"Very well, you are in a place my generation calls the Hall. What you are seeing is not normally seen physically when you are awake. What you are seeing are the memories of the life forces around you. Mike and Sam over there are not physically Mike and Sam, but are the record of each of their soul's experience. The trees and the bushes have a life force. That is why you see them."

"Yes, the trees and bushes are a deep red. Mike and Sam are a smeary orange-red, and you have a bluish hue. I feel like I am in Candy Land."

"Okay, good. Everyone is different and sense things differently. Your mind is interpreting the life force into the visible color spectrum. Low-level color energy is red, the highest is purple. Orange, yellow, green, and blue are in between."

"So you are stronger than the rest of us".

Shaking her head slowly, "stronger is not quite the right way to put it. Let's say more experienced, more powerful because of the knowledge I have attained." She could see he understood her.

"Okay", she said hoping she could move on, "you had mentioned that Mike and Sam looked smeary to you. The reason for this is that we are in the moment with them. I will change that now."

Without warning she clapped her hands in front of his nose startling him. It felt as if they flew away from the scene; like zooming out with a camera lens. The trees turned into indiscernible specks, and Mike and Sam turned into streaks of orange light that got mingled and intertwined with hundreds of thousands of other light streaks. All around them were streaks of light that went on endlessly. Most of the streaks were orange and red, there were a noticeable amount of yellows and some greens.

"Sorry to have startled you, but I needed to break your concentration. Now, this is a good view of the Hall", she said as she looked around. "The record of all life forces experiences are here"

Robert looked down at his feet, and below them was a streak of orange that had crossed with another. Strangely, though, where a streak had been was solid, but where it was gradually faded into nothing.

"Why are they going backwards?

Saria was watching what he was, and understood his dilemma. "Every moment you live through, becomes a solid record of that experience here in the Hall; what you would call your past memories. What you haven't experienced yet remains cloudy or indiscernible."

"So, from here, the Hall, I can see the past but not the future?" He said, as he looked around amazed by the colors.

"Your generation is infatuated with past and future. You cannot travel or view the future, it does not exist and would violate the Law, but you can view the past here as memories. You can never physically visit the past. It does not exist. There is not enough matter in the universe to physically capture every instance of the past. Does this make sense?"

"Sort of. You lost me at generation and at the Law."

Saria sighed. She knew this is where it will begin to get difficult. "You do have a religious background, even though you do not practice now".

"Yes," he said curiously. "How did you know that?" Without answering Saria just held out her arms to show where they were. "Oh, of course", he said.

"Based on your beliefs, your generation is the child of man. My generation would be the child of the Light, and the Light is the child of the One, or God as you would understand". She had to stop and look at him. He just stared at her. After a moment she asked, "You don't understand?"

"Yea," he said. "But this is the craziest dream I have ever had", he said with a laugh.

Saria frowned at the comment, but knew she must move along. "There are rules to our existence that cannot be broken. The most important one, the one law that cannot be broken, is not to interfere with free will. So surely you can see that if you could change your future, it would jeopardize your free will." Robert began to nod his head in agreement. "Now the faded wispy portion is the memory that has not occurred yet. The probability, you sometimes call fate, and the likelihood, you sometimes call destiny, is what causes the wispy portion to occur.

"So, can we see the future of someone's memory?" There was excitement in his voice.

"You can see the likelihood and probability of an occurrence, but it can change in an instant. So it is never to be trusted."

Studying the streaks of light, Robert began to notice how they intersected. Sometimes they spun together; other times they would just cross paths causing some of the streaks to change direction. "Can you explain the interaction and why some behave so differently?"

"Sure, the interaction is the meeting of two souls. They share the moment. Based on their interaction there may be a change in the probability or likelihood, thus a change in direction. When they are together, and the souls are close, the natural spin of thing makes them twirl together until they part".

"The natural spin of things? What do you mean by that?"

"Monopoles do not exist. Everything is a dipole. Good versus evil, black versus white."

"Up versus down", Robert said cutting in.

"Quite right. Your Spirit has two parts, the Love and the Light. The Light is masculine, ever expanding, exploding driving forward. The Love is feminine, gravity, pulling in, embracing. Together these forces create a spin. This spin exists everywhere in the universe, and has been symbolized throughout the ages with such things as the Ying and Yang symbol."

"So I am feminine and masculine? This will really screw my mother up."

"No. The soul that possesses your body is probably Light because of your masculine qualities. The other half remains with your spirit, and awaits the time they will be united."

"You mean, when I die."

"Well, when your body dies. Yes, your spirit will come and your soul will rejoin with it".

"And can the Love portion of the spirit possess a male body?" Robert began to relax and get comfortable with the surroundings.

"You mean an Eunuch? Yes of course. It happens all the time. Unfortunately, some condemned these souls for no reason. It is very sad." Sarai shook her head slightly.

"Oh, those that are gay," Robert said putting it together. "Well, those that are very religious would tell you that is what the bible tells them to do." Robert began to get defensive.

"In the old days this may have been so because of how spirits were corrupting the One's creations with their fornication and actions." Saria was clearly upset with this topic. "But when the Light came here in full spirit, it was made clear to leave them alone."

Saria began to get anxious. "We do not have much more time here."

Robert began looking around with a worried look on his face. Seeing Saria getting anxious, he expected to hear the deep voice and to feel the pain and pressure.

"No, no, there is nothing to fear here. Your friends are getting restless, and Reme is having difficulties. Now, let's quickly cover why you have been given this gift." Robert relaxed a little and nodded to her.

Saria took a moment to assemble her thoughts. "I sense that something big is about to happen since we have been in a dark time for so long. You will probably be called upon to help. This gift that has been awakened in you willl give you insight into what will or may happen. It will be up to you to ensure that the events occur to favor all for the good."

"What is it that I am to do?" Robert began to get weary about the task.

Saria looked down to avoid his eyes. "I do not know yet. I have not been told. When I do know, I will tell you."

"How will you tell me? I am not living out here in the wilderness with you. You can forget that."

"No, I will always find you here in the Hall when I need to. Getting here will get easier for you, now that you are becoming more acclimated. Finally, one more thing. I guess it is obvious that you should not tell anyone else what you can do. It will only result in animosity, anger, and suspicion towards you. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Robert said shortly. He did not know himself the full impact of what was happening. Until he fully understood the impact of this 'gift', he wasn't going to say anything to anybody. He then looked around wearily at all of the light streaks. "Saria, I have one more question for you. What about the deep voice that attacked me earlier?"

"Obviously, there are others that have access to the Hall. You needn't worry about another soul sneaking up on you now that you are fully aware here. But this is a discussion for another time."

Saria looked at him carefully. She was not sure she could trust him yet. She truly did not know what was in store for him, but she did know that what he knew now could destroy him, as it did his father.

"Okay Robert, close your eyes. The last time you visited the Hall, a bright golden white flash occurred in your head behind your eyes. Think about that bright flash, and your mind will be back in your body."

He closed his eyes, and within a few seconds, he saw the flash and felt a pop.

Chapter 19

Robert heard the commotion, then opened his eyes and sat up. He was on the ground besides the fire. Saria was sitting on a log beside him looking over her shoulder towards Mike and Sam who were backed up against the tents by what seemed like a huge horse to Robert. He could hear Mike and Sam talking loudly in an angry manner, but could not clearly make out what they were saying.

Then he heard Saria speak in a sweet and smooth manner, "Sam dear, is there a problem?" Suddenly there was silence. Robert spun around to get a better look at the situation. He could only see the side and back of the large mule.

Then he heard Mike's say in his normal sarcastic manner, "Yea, tell your damn Jackass friend here to back up before I find a gun and turn him into dog food!"

Without warning, the mule reared up on its hind legs and swatted at Mike with its front hooves. Sam immediately collapsed to the ground with her hands over her head, while Mike dove into the tent. Calmly Saria got up and walked over to Reme who had returned to a standing position. Patting him on the rear haunch, she spoke calmly to him. "Reme sweetheart, don't let the ignorance of the naive upset you." Passing beyond him, she went over to Sam to help her stand up.

"Come dear, sit over by the fire." She grabbed Sam by the waist and escorted her past Reme.

As she past Reme, Saria patted him on the butt and said, "Reme, keep the Jackass in the tent." As Sam came around Reme, she saw Robert was sitting up and looking at her.

"Oh my God, Robert! You're awake!" She ran over to him, throwing herself into a kneeling position to hug Robert nearly knocking him over.

"Yea, yea, hay I'm fine," Robert responded. He did not know how he should respond to the unexpected show of affection. Saria sat down beside them on the log.

"We were really worried about you, and then we saw Saria praying over you. And well we thought ... well you know."

"No, I'm good. I feel good actually." Sam continued to hold Robert in a hug, and Robert realized he should be enjoying the prolonged show of affection. Then Sam looked over to Saria.

"We got up to come over to check, but Reme came out of nowhere charging at us."

"I am sorry Sam," Saria said with a smile. "He tends to be a little protective when I am, as you say, praying."

"Um, hello! I would sure like to see my friend!" Mike yelled from the tent.

But Reme stood his ground. Shuffling his hooves, they made a loud thumping sound. Sam's hold on Robert was broken, and she and Robert stood along with Saria. Robert could not help but laugh at the situation.

"So this is your friend Reme?" Robert said pointing to the mule.

"Ah uh." Saria said proudly. "Okay Reme, I think Mike understands were he's at on the food chain."

Sam laughed loudly. She enjoyed the banter between Saria and Mike, especially when Mike was on the losing end of it. Reme let out a large snort, and then walk away back into the darkness of the forest. Mike was left kneeling half out of the tent wiping what came out of Reme from his face. Getting up Mike made his way over to his friends.

"Well, Mike never did make friends easily." Robert said with a laugh. Mike grabbed Robert and pulled him close for a hug.

"Are you hungry?" Mike said looking Robert over.

"Very!" Robert replied once he realized how hungry he was.

"That's a good sign." Mike said patting Robert on the shoulder. Then as if nothing had ever happened, "Get some wood, stoke the fire, and I'll grab a couple of beers. Let the women talk." Then Mike walked away towards the cooler to find what he could cook up quickly.

Robert ate most of the leftover chicken, while the others enjoyed freshly popped popcorn. Sam did most of the talking and told Robert all what had happened while he was unconscious. Robert had decided not to say anything about his experience, especially since the woman who escorted him was sitting right beside him.

"So, I told Mike everything about what happened today." Sam continued to filibuster over the conversation, "and he says he knows nothing about this computer virus."

"I mean really. Robert you know more about computers than I do." Mike jumped in.

"Oh, and get this," Sam said jumping back in. "I got a call from Andrew while Saria was praying over you." Saria smile and tip her water bottle at Sam. "They have completed all of the file analysis and have found no correlations between any files. Everything that was sent was junk."

"Wait." Robert said stopping Sam. He paused for a several seconds. "If all that was sent was junk, then what was the purpose of it? Was it some kind of 'Red Herring'?"

"Or was someone experimenting with trying to find a way to actually steal information? Mike added as a possibility.

"I don't know, but the IT group is pissed!" Sam said. "Andrew was spitting nails. He said Steven was not satisfied, and wanted everybody back in tomorrow to quote - start over," she said using her finger in a quoting fashion.

"Well, looks like I'm going to jail on Tuesday", Mike said as he dug at the ground with a stick.

"Oh, I don't think so," Sam said with a big smile. "Not with Solarius coming back."

"What!" Robert screamed and stood up so fast he nearly fell into the fire. "That is not possible. Everyone watched it go right into the sun." Saria perked up, and leaned forward to listen.

"Yep," Sam said. "Andrew says this is all hush hush, but Solarius apparently flew into the sun, popped out, didn't recognize where it was, so it pulled a U-turn went back into the sun, and then popped out of our sun again. They picked up its signal about a day ago and down loaded everything from its memory."

"Oh dear", Saria said quietly. Putting her fingers to her mouth she mumbled, "This is not good."

"No, this is great!" Sam said. "Do you have any idea what this could mean?"

"Oh yes, oh yes I do. I am afraid it is you who do not truly know what this means." With that, Saria got up from the log she had been sitting on and slowly wondered off into the woods.

Chapter 20

Robert was uncomfortable with how Saria had left the conversation. He wasn't sure what to think, but was certain he needed to talk to her before she left them. However, it was also important to discuss the work situation with Mike and Sam while they were all together around the campfire. It wasn't long before the dealings of the day began to wear on Sam, and she decided to turn in for the night. Mike and Robert held on for another hour, but then they too were both in their sleeping bags by midnight.

Before Robert could get comfortable, he heard the heavy breathing of Mike. He needed to talk to Saria, and fortunately having been unconscious for several hours earlier, wasn't showing any signs of being tired. He tossed around the idea of going into the forest to search for Saria, but was afraid of what he would run into. He thought of trying to go to the Hall, but wasn't sure what he would find there either. Getting into the Hall and getting back wasn't a certainty either, but he needed to try something. He focused on the area in his head behind his eyes, and thought about the golden bright light.

Without much effort, the light began to appear and he felt the popping sensation. He opened his eyes and saw darkness and the orange glow of Mike beside him. Looking around further, he noticed the pop-tent was no longer there, and a bluish silhouette of a person was off in the distance. Getting up, he went towards the silhouette hoping it was Saria. As he approached the silhouette from the rear, he noticed it was masculine and much taller than Saria. Afraid to approach any closer, Robert remained about ten feet away.

"Who are you?" Robert asked cautiously.

The silhouette turner towards him slowly, unsurprised by Robert's presence.

"My name is Uriel," the voice was deep with a middle-eastern accent. "I am a friend of Saria and Reme. Saria, asked me to keep watch over you while you and your friends slept."

As he spoke, his image began to focus for Robert. Uriel was tall with a muscular build, in his late forties. His hair was long, dark, and wavy. Through his stature, Robert knew he had some type of military training. The only parcel of clothing he wore were a pair of blue jeans. As Robert became more comfortable, Uriel began to take on more natural colors, but a slight bluish hue remained.

"Where is Saria? I need to speak to her."

"I am sorry, but she cannot be contacted." Uriel moved toward Robert.

Robert stiffened, and then moved backward. "She said we could always meet here."

Uriel, sensing Robert's fear, stopped moving toward him. "I understand that this place frightens you, but you must understand we are here to help you."

"Help me with what! I am tired of the riddles. I am tired of being afraid to sleep. Could you please tell me what is going on." The frustration was evident in Robert's voice.

"Okay. I am not the one to lead you through this, but it is also not right to ignore your pleas. We heard from your discussion earlier that you had some type of device enter and exit the sun. This turn of events opens the probability of many events that may not end well. We are not certain what we should do, Saria is praying for guidance."

Robert realized that the once stoic Uriel had slumped and seemed to become more humble. "I don't understand. Are we on the verge of blowing up the sun or something?" Robert said slowly.

"No, but you may be on the verge of unleashing a force that would affect the entire universe." Robert's look of confusion and concern made Uriel more compelled to tell Robert what was happening.

"Okay, it's best to start at the beginning. A very long time ago, this earth was created by the Great Parent to provide a means for life forces to learn. The children of the One..."

"The Light", Robert interjected.

Uriel nodded. "Yes, the Light, as well as the children of the Light, came here to experience and learn. You see, where your spirit exits, is a place we call Aether. We come together as a united force to create things, to learn things, to do things. When we come to worlds like this one, we are given opportunities to experience and learn. On this place, though, we were given the experience to do those things on our own, by ourselves, without being part of a consortium as we normally would. What has made this place even more special, we were able to posses the forms of life here to experience sight, smell, hearing, taste, and feeling. By taking on the bodies of this world, and experiencing those new sensations we began to learn things we never dreamed of experiencing."

"You mean you came here and possessed people?" Robert said shocked.

"Well at the time there were no people like you, just lower life forms like animals and plants. We would come and go as we pleased; reporting things we learned and did. Unfortunately, spirits that came to visit began to lose self-control. For the millions of years that we came freely into and out of this world, many of the spirits slowly began to destroy all that was beautiful and good. Obsessed with pleasures and power, they corrupted the life forms the One had created. Nearly all that visited here showed no respect to the One and what had been given to us. Needless to say the Great Parent was severely disappointed in the depravity that was committed."

"So, then came the flood I suppose?" Robert began to try to piece together what he could remember from scripture.

"No, that came much, much later. No, the One was ready to ban all spirits from this place, and the other places like this one. Until, the Light approached Him and convinced Him that He could remedy the situation. The Light understood what was at stake by not being able to experience a place such as this. So, the Light put in place a ... veil."

"You mean like a curtain?" Robert said.

"Yea, well sort of. You see, in order for a spirit to visit this place now, only half of it would be allowed, and it would have to be the soul of that being. Meanwhile, the other half would be held accountable on the other side of the veil. The veil prevented any communication between the two parts of the spirit, leaving the part of the spirit that was here completely on its own and powerless. And with no access to the Hall, it is completely void of any previous experiences.

Robert nodded as he began to understand. "So, the playground remained open but with restrictions. The part of the spirit that was sent here, the soul of the life form, would be on its own to learn and fend for itself without any guidance from its counterpart. What do you mean, when you say the other half of the spirit would be held accountable", Robert was becoming intrigued by the story.

Well, that is simple really, the half that possessed a life form, the soul as you put it, was sent to learn. If it did well, then the spirit would gain in stature and knowledge from those learnings captured in the Hall. If it broke any of the laws, the spirit would lose in stature causing great suffering to the spirit, and could likely die a death that would set it back gravely.

"Whoa, that doesn't seem right. How would God expect any soul, with no knowledge, not to make any mistakes?"

"Well, the soul is left with instincts. It would be like you taking your heart with all of it feelings and compassions, and tossing it into a dollhouse with other similar hearts to see how it would react. Before you would do that, you would make sure that those instincts of yours were strong and solid."

"I don't know. It sounds way too risky to me." Robert was shaking his head.

"And yet, it is necessary. In order for spirits at your level to get beyond the yellow level you see here in the Hall, they must get beyond that risk you fear".

"And what is the goal? Why the pursuit to gain the knowledge."

"Well," Uriel said simply, "to get closer to the One. We all came from the One, and we all must return to the One or die the death. You see, as your spirit grows and learns you become more God-like. Through your mind, you are able to create things. However, to get closer to the One is not by being more god-like, but by learning to be more godly."

"So, what does all this have to do with the Sun?" Robert asked trying to put all of the pieces together."

"Well, long before the Light perfected your generation, there was a great battle between the Light and the Love, who is also of the same generation as the Light. A power struggle you might say. Before putting the veil in place, the Light casted the Love, who goes by the name Leviathan, down upon the earth and trapped it behind the veil. It is now stuck on this side of the veil with no other half to pull it back. Being bound to the Earth, it was believed a dismal fate lie ahead because of Leviathan's sinful ways. Unfortunately though, this has not been the case.

"Wait, Love is Satan, right?" Uriel nodded. "Are you kidding me? I thought this stuff was all fiction from some book! Now you are telling me that he really exists, and that we are somehow going to release him?"

Uriel nodded. "In fact it is curious, there has never been an opportunity for Leviathan to escape. Until now. It will be through the Light's perfection of the One's creation that Leviathan may possess a soul and escape the bond from this place. Once away from here, and with the veil pierced, it is only a matter of time until Leviathan is free."

"What do you mean?"

"Sol is the portal through to Aether. All Souls must be invited and given access to this place through Sol."

"Sol, you mean the Sun. Why not just come in from any direction?"

"Well, a Soul would have to travel great distances to reach this place. If they were to do that, the Guardians would intervene and prevent it. You see, a soul must be invited to enter this place through your Sun. Your Sun's singularity connects to other Suns' singularity. They are all connected, thus movement from one place to another is quite easy through the singularities."

"So, now that we have discovered the Sun is some type of portal, we could carry Leviathan across the veil."

"Correct." Uriel showed some relief for he thought this discussion was over.

"But wait. Leviathan is at a spiritual level and man is at a physical level. How can the two intersect?"

Annoyed that the conversation was continuing Uriel reluctantly answered the question. "We are all bound by the same laws. It is true that Leviathan has not been glorified, so he cannot take on a physical shape, but if he were to possess a body that passed through the portal, escape would be easy since those of us in the spiritual realm could not prevent a physical being from passing through."

"Why not shut the portal?" Robert said as if the solution were simple.

"To shut the portal, would require killing your Sun. This is not an acceptable solution to the Light. Many premonitions spoke of the Light performing this very act, but to do so would be to destroy many souls, and thus many Spirits would perish."

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to stop him while he's still here then", Robert said as if coming to a grand conclusion.

"That is entirely possible. However, for now, it would be best if you returned to your body and got some rest. I am certain Saria will not be available for the rest of the night." Uriel then turned his back on Robert.

Disappointed, Robert just closed his eyes and thought about the golden white light.

Chapter 21

Though it had been a long night, Glenn awoke early eager to get his day moving. Though he could not remember the ride home, the excitement from the night before continued to rage through his body. The level of power and control he felt was intoxicating. He had buzzed Preston to let him know he expected breakfast to be ready when he had finished his shower, and to make sure his morning brief was at the table.

While he dressed, he had the three monitors in his bedroom tuned to his favorite news channels. He keenly listened for the hint of any mention of his company's involvement in global activities. There was always a bad remark or accusation from an anti-capitalist, but for the most part it was good news. Best of all, there was not a single comment about the latest development regarding the solar event.

Preston served Glenn his eggs and coffee out on the patio behind his office. As it was with every Saturday, Preston sat with Glenn to have a cup of coffee and discuss upcoming events.

"Well Glenn, there is no doubt that you gentlemen enjoyed yourselves last night", Preston said in a relaxed manner.

"I do hope there wasn't much to clean up after. I realize those nights can drag on for you, and I want to thank you for all that you do."

"My pleasure Glenn. I must say though, Han's is getting a little too aggressive making the cleaning up part a little difficult."

"Yes, well we were a little more excitable than usual. Hans will gain a lot if the sun turns into the golden egg. As you might expect, Raythian will benefit greatly making all us a little more excitable than normal."

"Well sir, to have been here to actually see how you have taken your father's company to a whole new level has been absolutely thrilling. It is..." Preston was interrupted by an incoming call on Glenn's phone.

"Excuse me Preston, Germany." Glenn held up his hand to signal Preston to stay where he was seated. "Good afternoon Alfred. What have you got for me?"

"Well Sir, some rather good news I suppose. Of the remaining Solarius crafts, only one is not flight worthy. However, it will be in three months' time." Alfred voice came across the phone strong and vibrant.

"Good, then how soon until we launch the next craft?" Glenn said pinching the phone between his shoulder and cheek as he poured himself another coffee.

"Well, the delay is due to a change in instrumentation. We are working on outfitting the craft with better star plotting capabilities. This will require some additional sensors, and a more powerful computer. Our software people still have a ways to go, but I should think we would be ready within a couple of weeks."

Glenn remained quiet for a moment. This is not what he wanted to hear, though he had expected it. He would talk to Hans about shortening that deadline. "Tell me what we know from the data that was collected?"

"Well, the first craft entered the sun at a little over 500,000 kilometers per second. Its nuclear engines were not affected, and continues to operate today. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough fuel to bring it home."

"Will this be an issue in the coming missions?"

"Well, you never know how much fuel you really need until you run out, but the remaining crafts have been outfitted with additional fuel to extend their flight time by 300 hours."

Glenn love hearing about these mysterious spacecraft that were somewhere flying around doing what he wanted. "What else do we know about the first craft's trip?"

"Well, as I had said it went into the sun through a sunspot. For a few brief moments, the outer skin cooled substantially. It then re-emerged out of another sunspot. The temperature exiting through the other sun spot that fifteen thousand degrees hotter."

"Fifteen thousand degrees hotter?" Glenn was puzzled by the increase in temperature.

"Well, sir, we believe the craft came out of another sun. You must remember, the craft could not get a fix on any star formations. Therefore, we are operating under the assumption it existed a different sun. We are not even sure it was still in our own galaxy."

"Fascinating." Glenn found it hard to believe what he was hearing. He could not help but wonder if they have stumbled across the infamous and elusive wormhole.

"Indeed, it is. Anyway, the craft spent eight days regaining its speed, locked onto the sun spot it had emerged from and went back through. It emerged through the original spot it had entered on our sun. Unfortunately, the sun had rotated, and the craft is now heading toward deep space away from earth and our L4 staging point."

"Wow, unbelievable." Glenn found it hard to digest what they had stumbled across. "What's the plan with the next craft?"

"The intention is to target a sun spot, then repeatedly fly through that same sunspot for as long as it is open. On each return trip, we will exchange data with the craft to determine where it is emerging. For as long as the fuel exists and the craft remains flight worthy, we will continue through different sun spots. Hopefully mapping where the craft is going".

"I like the plan Alfred. Is it possible to increase the ability of the crafts health sensor? It would be useful to know what it is experiencing through its repeated passes.

"Already done and part of the plan," Alfred said proudly.

"Excellent work, Alfred. Please congratulate your team for me."

"Yes sir, I will. Have a good day."

Glenn disconnected the call, and slowly put the phone down on the table. Clearly, this is the dawn of a new era, and he knew he would not be able to keep it a secret for long. He also knew that a breach within his own organization was possible, and needed to keep a lid on this development. Picking up his phone, he dialed Steven the VP of his IT department.

"Steven, what the latest?" Glenn said as soon as the phone at the other end was answered.

"Good morning Glenn. Well, there has been no real change from when we talked last night. None of the documents are related, and there is no real smoking gun to shoot Mike. I am afraid we really have no path forward at this point."

"Do you mean to tell me I can't even suspend the bastard for a few days?"

"Shit, you can certainly do whatever you want, but there is no evidence that he perpetrated this crime."

"I thought everything was coming from his computer. You told me that all the other computers were responding to commands from his computer."

"Glenn, you well know, anybody could have walked up to his computer and installed this program." Steven's exhaustion could be heard in his voice.

"I don't care; I want that son-of-a-bitch grilled first thing Tuesday morning." Glenn emphasized his comment by loudly banging his finger on the glass tabletop.

"That is certainly not a problem Glenn, but we will be doing it alone. The Feds won't be coming back in."

"Damn it! You find something to hang around his neck. I want him out of the business for good come Tuesday morning."

"By the way, your father has learned of the breach and called me personally".

"Fuck!" Glenn slid back in his chair and rubbed his forehead with his other hand.

"Well, I know this feud between you and Mike goes back a ways, so I didn't give your father any specifics."

"Yea, well thanks for that."

"However, you know your father; he is going to find out one way or another. He is still pretty well connected in here."

"No doubt. Thanks for the update". Glenn disconnected the call before Steven could respond.

"Sorry Glenn", Preston said staring into his coffee cup, "we knew it was a long shot. Timing can be everything."

"Yes, it certainly can." Glenn was angry. "Unfortunately, I will have to let this incident calm itself down, and hope something else will present itself."

"Let me know if I can help." Preston smiled at Glenn while placing his coffee cup on the table. As he began to stand, Glenn motioned for him to remain seated.

"There is something I need your help with. I need your help with a positioning algorithm for Solarius. I estimate that I will need about two weeks of your uninterrupted time." Glenn sat back and waited for the rebuttal.

"No Glenn, I am sorry. But I will not spend another minute off this planet. I put in my time. You said I had earned my retirement."

Preston was infuriated that Glenn brought the subject up. They had a deal. Preston had spent eight months working in the confines of L4 when they were barely able to keep oxygen from leaking out of all its seams. The thought of suffocating in space haunted him every moment he was there. When his tour had ended, Glenn promised to make it up to him by giving him the plush job he had now.

"You are absolutely correct," Glenn said sitting back in his chair. "I was hoping you would work from here."

Calming himself, Preston took a moment to think it over. "Well, I suppose modifying existing code for Solarius' platform could be performed remotely. But why does my existing code need to be changed? I thought it was running well?"

"It does, as long as it receives information of a known origin. Solarius found itself in a place of unknown origin, so the algorithm could not make the adjustments to find itself."

"Unknown origin? How is that even possible? All of our constellations are mapped."

"Yes, but Solarius found itself in a place where the stars weren't map. So, we need your algorithm to reposition the star field so the constellations and other indices points can be viewed from any direction."

Preston started thinking about the problem. "Do you have data?"

"Yes."

"We will be using all the same instruments?

"No. Unfortunately, instrumentation has evolved over the past two years, so most of it will be changed."

"Oh, I don't know Glenn. It's best to be with the instruments. I am not going up there."

"I don't think you will need to. There's a great team up there already, and remote office capabilities are quite impressive." He knew he had Preston hooked.

"I'll have to think about it." Preston got up from the table and slowly walked away. Turning back, he said, "I will do my best from here. I'll even go to the office if necessary. But living on L4 is out of the question."

"Understood. I appreciate all that you can do."

"Good. You can give Mike my seat for all I care." Preston then turned and walked into the house.

Glenn couldn't help but smile at the thought of sending Mike into space.

Chapter 22

Sam awoke to the sound of birds chirping all around her. Getting up from her sleeping bag, she put on a sweatshirt but didn't change out of the gym shorts she had slept in. Unzipping the tent, she peered out to find Saria sitting at the fire pit tending to a small fire. She left her tent and walked towards Saria.

Looking up, Saria smiled and said, "Good morning Dear."

"Good morning." Looking around, Sam saw Reme over by the stone wall with Uriel perched on the ledge above. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Well, as much as I ever do." Saria replied, signaling Sam to sit on the log beside her. "Are you and the boys going to be here much longer?"

"I don't know. There have been so many distractions. Things at work, Robert falling and knocking himself out. It would probably be best to head back home." Sam heard the unzipping of the other tent. Looking up she saw Mike pop his head out. "Good morning!" she shouted.

Mike just made a subtle movement with his hand. Unfolding himself from the tent, he stretched a few times and rubbed his face with his hands. He then shuffled over to the fire pit, saw that there was no coffee, grunted, and then shuffled back to the coolers by the tents to get what he needed to brew some coffee.

"Where will you be heading next?" Sam asked Saria as she poked at the fire.

"Well, I guess we will head back home. We've seen all we needed to see, so we'll head back. You know it was really nice meeting the three of you," she said with a nod to Mike as he knelt down at the fire pit to prepare the coffee pot.

"Well, you too Saria", Mike said with a smile. "Sorry I can't say the same for your furry friends."

Saria smiled, "They would not have hurt you. And I am certain that Uriel did the best he could to protect Robert after he startled him."

"Ah uh," Mike said as he settled back against a log to wait for the coffee to brew.

"And speak of the devil," Sam said as Robert appeared from the tent.

"Good morning everyone." Robert said in a cheerful voice. "Saria, it is good to see you. I was hoping I would before you left."

"Yes, sorry I missed you last night. Come and sit." With the stick she was holding, Saria motioned to a log across from her.

Robert settled onto the log across from Saria, with Sam to his right and Mike to his left. Mike passed around cups he had gotten along with the coffee pot. Sam and Robert took one each, but Saria declined.

"Where did you go last night?" Robert directed the question to Saria.

"Well, I needed to find a quiet place where I could pray. Sometimes, when you run out of ideas, and you need some answers, a quiet place can do the soul wonders".

"Is everything okay?" Sam reached over to Saria and touched her knee.

"Yes dear, everything is fine. It's just that we need to be moving along. We have a very long journey ahead of us. So, we'll be getting on our way." Saria stood, and started walking towards Reme.

"Now wait a minute." Mike said standing up to tower over her. "You mysteriously appear out of nowhere with your oddball freak animals, do your Witchdoctor thing and revive Robert, and now you're just going to up and leave just like that? What, you're not going the read our palms or read our coffee grounds or anything? That's just not right." Mike's sarcastic tone was undeniable.

"Well, it may not be right, but we do have to get going. Nevertheless, before I go, I guess I should leave each of you with words of wisdom from an old lady." Saria giggled as she spoke. She did enjoy Mike's challenges.

Tapping Mike on the chest, Saria spoke to him first. "Mike, you tend to talk too much and avoid what your heart is telling you. So do us all a favor, shut up and listen to your heart sometimes. Maybe, just maybe, some day you will hear what your heart has to say, and others will benefit greatly from it."

"What, are you comparing me to the Tin Man?" Mike said with a laugh.

"No, no. The Tin Man had no heart. You have a heart. A big one. It's just that you want to be cold as steal, but you know it is getting harder for you to be so."

Saria turned to Robert, "I know that you have many questions, and things can be confusing at times. Take my advice, find a quiet place, and answers will be easily found. " She then gave Robert a wink that the other two could not see.

Finally, she turned towards Sam, "You are an old soul. You have been here many times and it has given you great instincts. You will face many challenges. Rely on your inner strength, and be wary of rushing to judgment without the facts. Your condemnation will force events not to your favor."

Sam, unable to digest all that was said just smiled and shook her head. "I always try to be fair."

Saria nodded at Sam and patted her shoulder, and then turned and started walking towards Reme.

"So you are the Riddler now too, eh." Mike said with a slight chuckle. "You know, you never did tell me where the tree comes from."

Surprised that Mike was taking her leave hard, she turn around to face him so that she could torment him one more time. "Water of course."

"I said water, but you said no. You can't do that."

"Mike, you said water for the wrong reason. Remember, it is a miracle from God. When the tree's cell splits the water into its elements, the cell transforms the energy that is released into matter."

"What? What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Someday I will have to explain the miracle of the cell to you." Saria then turned and continue to walk away from them towards Reme.

"Yea, well another one of your confusing lectures! Boy, I can't wait."

Then the three of them watched Saria and Reme disappear into the forest. Uriel took flight with a screech, and disappeared over the canapé of the trees.

Chapter 23

Mike took the long way to work on Tuesday morning. He did not know what to expect, but he knew it wasn't going to be good. The plan was for him to arrive at 8:15 AM. Sam would be there early as she normally was, and if the situation was really bad, she would call him. He pulled into the parking lot at 8:15, and took his time walking into the building.

The lobby was especially large, built to impress visitors on their first visit. The sounds echoed off the marble floors, and the walls were a combination limestone and mahogany paneling that reached up to the ceiling two and half stories above. Conversations could be heard, but were not distinguishable within the echoes. The employees had to walk through the lobby past the islands of showcases that displayed the company's history and achievements. At the back of the lobby, they would have to pass through the security area to get to the elevators.

As Mike approached, one of the security guards signaled him to come towards the counter. Acting as calm and nonchalant as he possibly could, Mike approached the counter. "What's up Tim?" He asked the older security guard that had called him over.

"You get special entry today. Can you step around the back of the counter and go through this door please." Tim motioned to a door while walking towards it to open it for Mike. The door opened outward, and he waited for Mike to pass through. "Just wait in here Mike; someone will be with you in a moment." Then he closed the door behind Mike.

The room was small, about ten feet on each side, with nothing on the walls other than another door opposite to the one he had come in. There was a small table with a chair on the side closest to him, and two other chairs on the opposite side. Mike realized that this was the Exit-interview room. Those that were let go from the business would be brought to this room, interviewed, then escorted out of the building through the door he had come through. He pulled the lone chair out, sat down to wait.

Ten minutes had gone by, and no one had entered the room. He knew he was being watched, but could not see where they would have put the camera. The situation made him laugh. He was confident that Sam knew what the situation would be, and she would have warned him if it were going to be bad. Since he had not received a call from her, he suspected everything was going to be okay. He decided to take out his phone to play a game.

Within a few minutes, the door across from him opened. Steven the VP of the IT group and a well-dressed man in his fifties wearing glasses walked through. "Hello Mike", Steven said as he pulled a chair out from the table. "This is Ted Durbin from legal."

"Hello gentlemen." Mike said as he watched Ted take the seat next to Steven.

"We need to discuss with you some unauthorized activity you have been doing on your computer." Steven looked Mike square in the eye.

"Aw shit, now come on Steven, I am sorry but is it really worth all this?" Mike straightened up in his chair to meet Steven's gaze. Ted continue to shuffle through the papers in the file had had brought in with him.

Steven cleared his throat, to remove the casualness from his voice. "This is a very serious matter, and this activity is not taken lightly by this business".

"Well, you can certainly reprimand me, but I am not going to give up the other players in this." Mike broke the gaze as he spoke, brushed the tabletop with his hands, and then leaned back in his chair.

Tim then spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Don't make this any more difficult than necessary, we know who else is involved."

"Really? Do we need to go through all of this? I mean, if we don't use the computers during our lunch break, we'll just use our phones to play one another. I mean Death Match is a really cool game when played against each other. You two should lighten up and try it."

Steven slammed his hand down on the table, startling both Tim and Mike. "Stop fucking around! You know damn well this has nothing to do with some shitty game, and everything to do with Federal charges and prison."

Mike looked genuinely surprised, because he was. He trusted that if things were this bad he would have heard from Sam. "Prison? What do you mean, prison?" He looked over to Tim, and saw he was looking down at the paperwork, and nodding his head.

Steven repeatedly snapped his fingers to get Mike's attention. "Yes, prison is not out of the quest..."

Suddenly, the door behind Steven swung open, and Sam walked into the room. "Good morning Gentlemen," she said sweetly. "How is everyone today?" She closed the door and walked behind Steven around to the end of the table to his left.

Steven was visibly agitated. "What are you doing here?" He said quickly.

"Well, I heard you were having an impromptu meeting with one of my Associates, so I thought I would join you".

"This doesn't concern you. You will need to leave." Steven said dismissively.

"No, this does concern me since Mike is my direct report, and is working on three of my most crucial projects. Now, what are we talking about? Can somebody bring me up to speed?", she said cheerfully.

Steven stood up lean on the table towards Sam, "You will leave now, or I will have you escorted out."

Refusing to be belittled, Sam approached Steven until she was six inches away, and stared directly into Steven's eyes. With Steven towering over her, she spoke softly and controlled, "You have no jurisdiction over me or my Associate. You cannot order me to leave this room. Mike and I are both here out of respect to attend a meeting you had requested. I have just left my Boss' office, and he is expecting a report from me as to what was discussed here. So, I suggest we get started."

Mike could not help but smile. The balls this girl had were phenomenal. He looked over at Tim who was leaning in his chair away from the confrontation, with a shocked look on his face. Mike knew then, that he had the better counsel. Steve took his seat and returned his gaze at Mike. Sam relaxed and stood beside the table leaning against the wall.

"Okay Mike," Steve said regaining his composure. "When did you install the malicious software on your computer?"

"What malic..." Mike began to say but was interrupted by Sam.

"Do you have proof the software belonged to Mike?"

Slightly annoyed, Steve looked over to Sam. "Only Mike has the password to access his computer." Looking back at Mike, Steven continued. "Now, what do you say you answer my question?"

Again, Mike began to speak, but was interrupted again by Sam. "Don't the personnel under your direction have remote access to Mike's computer, as well as all the other computers that were infected?"

"Stop interrupting and let Mike answer the questions. I would like to hear what he has to say." Steven had very little patience, and it was beginning to show.

Sam leaned on the table with both hands, and with a smile said, "And I would like to see a list of suspected personnel from your department who had access and opportunity to infect Mike's computer as well as the other computers." Looking past Steven, she addressed Tim. "Who are you?"

Startled, Tim looked up at Sam. "I am Tim Durbin, from Legal". He adjusted his glasses and posture to look more important.

"Ah, okay. Well Tim, can I please see the list of suspected personnel who you are intending to interview today after Mike?"

"Well, um, that list is confidential."

"Okay, then you do in fact have a list. Now, I did not say I wanted to read the list, I merely wanted to see the list." After a slight pause, Sam returned to a standing position and crossed her arms across her chest. "Then again, I could be wrong. Perhaps there is no list."

Steve interrupted to regain control of his meeting. Waving off Sam, "You are not going to see any list." Returning his gaze back on Mike, "Now Mike, we know you do not have the capability of writing the software that transmitted secure and secret information out of the business. So we will need you to tell us who had contacted you so that we can focus our effort on them."

"What kind of information?" Mike asked quickly.

"Well, Engineering drawings for one." Steve began to get into his groove again, but Sam quickly interrupted again.

"Do you have an example of any complete documents that were sent? Not just an erroneous snippet of a file, but a real complete document?" Steven tried to ignore Sam and continued to look at Mike. Sam continued to lean against the wall, but then leaned sideways slightly to look around Steven at Tim. "What do ya say there Timbo? Got a sample of a drawing, or at least a list of documents in that mysterious file of yours?"

Tim cleared his throat to say something, but Steven interrupted. "Sam, you are walking on thin ice here. You are interfering with an ongoing investigation involving the Federal Government. I strongly suggest you either shut up or leave."

Sam refused to break Stevens stare. "So Timothy, are you representing the Federal Government?"

"Ah, no," Tim said softly,

"Okay then." Sam quickly moved from the wall and patted Mike on the shoulder. "Let's go Mike." She moved to open the door behind Mike. "Let's let these guys work on getting their facts together. We have more important shit to do."

Mike quickly got up and followed Sam out of the room, and shut the door behind him. They walked quickly to the elevators.

"Damn! You're good," Mike said. What was that all about?"

Sam approached the elevator wall. "You know me Mike", and she pressed the up button on the wall. "Tell me the facts, and then I'll tolerate to your bullshit. But I won't tolerate your bullshit-facts." The doors opened on the elevator, and they entered alone. Pushing the button for the fifth floor, Sam then turned to Mike. "Be honest with me Mike, what is the deal between you and Glenn."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, Steven would not have been so far out on a limb if he wasn't told to do so. And the only person who would tell him would be Glenn. Listen, they are trying to string you up with whiffs of smoke. I am certain Glenn is behind this and I need to know why."

"Well, we were college roommates. He was older than I was since he went abroad for a few years after high school. But he was studying computers and finance, and I was studying mathematics and Engineering. We never got along real well, but his father adored me. I don't know, I never really thought about it."

"Well something is not right." The bell sounded and the doors opened to the Engineering floor. Mike stepped out. "You go on ahead Mike. I have to go tell to my boss I have a report to write for him."

Mike turned to look back at Sam. He wanted to thank her for taking care of him, but was at a loss for words when he saw her standing alone in the elevator. There was something about her look and her smile that took his breath away. Before he knew it, the bell chimed and the doors began to close. At the last moment, before the doors eased together, beaming with confidence Sam gave Mike a wink and a slight nod. Disappointed in himself for not saying anything, he swore to himself he would get up the courage to have a more meaningful conversation with her.

Chapter 24

Mike's and Robert's lunch table was more crowded than normal with ten people squeezed around a round table that normally sat eight. The majority of folks were from the Engineering floor except for Darla who squeezed herself in beside Robert and across from Mike.

The table was loud and jovial with Mike 'holding court'. He did spend a little time reviewing the events of the morning early on during lunch, but was now focusing on the events of the weekend. Everyone roared with laughter at Robert's expense when Mike explained how a bird nearly carried his body away.

"I am telling you. It was bizarre. It was as if Robert was doing a reverse swan dive off this twenty-foot ledge. Then out of nowhere comes this huge bird and literally wraps its claws around Robert. Flapping its wings, it nearly carried him away. But instead gently laid him on the ground."

"Oh dear. You fell twenty feet and landed on your back!" Darla was genuinely concerned and grabbed Robert's forearm. "It's a wonder you're not dead."

"No, no." Mike said waving his hands. "You don't understand. This creepy bird literally laid him on the ground like he was some prized rat, and then stood on him as if to say this is my supper, go find your own."

"Wait, how big was this bird?" One of the Engineers asked sitting to Mikes right.

"When it stretched out its winds, it was as long as Robert is tall."

"You mean to tell me the bird was going to eat Robert?" Darla was gripping Robert's arm tighter. Though he did not mind her genuine show of concern, he did begin to take notice of the some of the others' reaction around the table.

"Hell no, I wasn't going to let that happen. Hell, I picked up this massive stick, and..."

"Ran into the tent as soon as the bird started towards you." Sam completed as she appeared behind Mike holding her lunch tray.

The table roared again knowing Mike's tale had been spoiled. An Engineer sitting next to Mike got up to leave allowing Sam to take his seat. Sam quickly fell into the discussion and started correcting some of Mike's embellished tales.

Robert had noticed Darla removed her hand from his arm, but could not help but to think about it. The voices around the table began to fade into the distance, while Robert began to get lost in his thoughts. He saw clear images of Darla and Sam at a dress shop with Sam trying on different gowns. He caught glimpses of their conversation and felt the joy of the moment. He saw Sam in a sleek dark blue gown that had mid-length sleeves, and the material came down off the shoulders, crossed her chest showing more cleavage than he thought she had. The material was shinny and tight against her body, but then he felt a jolt of jealousy when Darla commented on Sam's flat stomach.

Though he could hear bits and pieces of the girl's conversation, he also could hear the conversation and laughter at the lunch table. A unique and familiar word came through from the conversation at the lunch table, and that word was 'Uriel'. Focusing on that word, he woke up from the daydream to find he was again the brunt of another cause of laughter.

"Huh, what? I am sorry I was thinking about something else." Robert said trying to get his bearing on the conversation at the table. "What are you guys talking about?" The table began to quiet down and focus on Robert. "Did someone say Uriel?"

"Yea," Mike said. "That was the name of Saria's goofy bird that nearly carried you away. Didn't you know that?"

"Um no, I thought Uriel was a man." Robert was confused, remembering the conversation he had had with Uriel in the Hall.

Sam blurted out, "Man. What man? Was there another man there that I didn't meet?"

There was some more laughter, and Robert began to get embarrassed. In an effort to change the subject, and without thinking, he picked a subject that was at the forefront of his mind. "So, Sam, tell us about the gown you were trying on with Darla yesterday."

For once that afternoon, the lunch table was quiet. Sam stared at Darla, and Darla stared back at Sam shaking her head slightly. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Robert realized just how out of place the comment he had made was. Though he knew deep inside that she had tried on a gown, apparently no one else other than Darla and Sam knew.

"What gown?" Sam asked.

"Well, what I mean is, didn't you say you left the camp site early to go shopping with Darla?"

"Yea. Well we went shopping, but not for a gown," Darla jumped in to cover for Sam. The others at the table began to leave the table knowing that the entertainment portion of their lunch was over. Soon only Sam, Darla, Robert and Mike were at the table.

Sam had stretched her hands out on the table in front of her, and knew the secret could not be contained any longer. "If Darla didn't tell you, then you must have found out through someone who saw us there. Who was it?"

"No one. I swear! I just knew you two would be looking at dresses and stuff like that, and gown just came out." Robert said trying to stop the interrogation.

Mike jumped in to save his friend. "Whoa, you were looking at gowns? Why, what's the occasion?"

Sam knew the word would be out soon about the dinner at Glenn's house this coming Friday, so she thought it best not to continue to avoid it. "Glenn is having a formal dinner party at his house this Friday evening, and he invited me along with other Managers."

"Oh. Are you going by yourself?" Mike's tone was innocent, but everyone knew the probing nature of the question.

"Yes." Sam's answer was intentionally short, hoping she could avoid the remainder of the conversation.

"Ew, awkward." Mike said. "Well, you won't necessarily be sitting by yourself. People you work with will be there."

Getting annoyed with his probing questions, Sam decided to let him have it with the full details. "Well not actually. Glenn asked me to be his date and I will be with him." There was silence. Mike had nothing else to say, and even showed signs of being hurt or betrayed.

"Well, I am going to finish those analyses," Mike said plainly.

"Yes, please do. They need to fire up the engines this Thursday to remain on schedule." Sam responded with some snip in her voice.

Getting up to leave the table, and with a little anger in his tone Mike had to get the last word in. "Yep, sure. You'll have to have something to brag about when you hobnob with the elite." Then he quickly turned away and left.

Sam stared at Robert. Feeling like the third wheel, Darla got up to leave. "Well, I should get back."

"Okay Darla," Robert responded.

"Yep, see ya Robbie", Darla said as she turned and left. Robert quickly looked back at her noticing the unusual use of his name.

Sam cleared her throat to get Robert focused back on her. "What the hell is up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Robert did his best to sound ignorant of the situation.

"Your odd behavior since this past Friday morning. Listen, I have known you for five years now. I know there is something going on that you are not telling me. So spill it."

Robert did not know what to say. He knew that anything he could say about his so-called gift would drive his friends away from him. But he could also tell that he was not hiding it well either. Staring at his hands on the table deep in thought over what to say, he did not immediately respond to Sam's question. Sam became more concerned. She knew something was bothering him, but did not know what to say to him. She reached out to touch his hands, but he pulled them back away from her. After what had happened with Darla, Robert was suddenly afraid to have someone touch him now.

"How much does Darla like me?" Robert looked up at Sam, but now she was the quiet one. "Listen, I know I am no great catch, and that I am an easy target for a quick laugh. But she was acting strange today as well."

"Don't change the subject. You tell me what's going on, and I'll answer your questions about Darla."

"It's nothing really, I just been having some strange dreams."

Sam urged him on subtly.

"It's nothing. Really." Robert said defensively.

"How did you know about the gown? Were you following us?"

"No! Besides, how? I don't have a car and I was with Mike yesterday."

"What, are you expecting me to believe you guessed this?" Sam tried to control the frustration in her voice.

"I don't know. Well no. I mean," Robert was getting confused. He knew he shouldn't say anything, but desperately want to tell someone he could confide in. "I just zoned out and saw you standing in front of Darla in this dark blue gown."

Sam's eyes widened and she sat back in the chair stunned. Before she could say anything, Glenn walked up to the table. Abruptly he interrupted their conversation.

"Sam, we need to talk about the propulsion test of the L4. We are having a meeting to review the flight test, and things have changes slightly. I wanted to make sure you are prepared."

A little dazed, Sam looked up at him. "Sure, when would you like to do this?"

"See me before our 2:00 in the Executive conference room." He then looked down at Robert, then back at Sam. "Don't be late." Then he left as abruptly as he had appeared.

Sam was disoriented. Trying to remember her schedule, and thinking about where her conversation with Robert was, she needed a few seconds to switch back to where she was before Glenn appeared. Robert saw this as an opportunity to leave.

"Listen, I'm going to get back to work." He said as he got up to leave. "But, um, I know my opinion is not worth much, but stick with the dark blue gown. You looked stunning in it."

Sam opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Stunned and surprised, she felt her face blush as Robert turned and walked away.

Chapter 25

Sam was running late, and squeezed into the conference room just before the meeting started. She grabbed one of the information packets off the table on her way to stand in a back corner of the room along the windows. The room was packed with no seats available at the table, and both wall monitors were on with each having a video feed from another location. Glenn stood at the other end of the room chatting idly with some of the managers seated at the table.

"Okay! Mary, can you shut the door," Glenn said to a woman standing by the door. "Everyone should be here by now. Okay, please make sure you have one of these packets before you leave. It has all of the updated details of what we will be talking about in the next couple of minutes."

Glenn looked down the table at the packets as they were passed about to those who were standing.

"Right, well I realize these rollout meetings can be difficult, and that some of our European friends are here past their dinner time, so I intend to be brief. Again, all of the information is in the packet." He paused once again to ensure everyone had settled and that he had all of their attention. "Now, about the packet itself. No one outside of this meeting is to view or hear about any of the information in it. There is both time sensitive and personnel sensitive information inside."

Sam's curiosity was peaked. It was a thick packet, about 30 pages. All typed with single space. She knew one of the additions affected her in one way or another; Glenn made that clear at the lunch table. It was hard for her to focus on anyone page with all the type and with Glenn speaking.

"Okay, Everybody. Please give me a few minutes and don't flip through the pages. Let's go over the jest of what it says. This packet is the overview for the flight test of L4. As you know, after five years of construction, the command and living space has been operational for seven months, and we will be firing its engines by the end of this week. The actual flight test will begin in three weeks, and is expected to last approximately four to six months."

"All of the Test Plans were submitted a while back and a Project Plan has been developed. The general idea is to take the station out of its L4 position, cycle through maneuvering and speed test; essentially take it on a test drive to Mars and back." Quiet laughter erupted around the room as Glenn smiled at his own quip.

"Naturally, there are some huge risk. All of the high, known risks are explained in this document." Pausing, Glenn looked around the room and at the monitors.

"Listen, nothing this massive has ever been built and flown. There are questions whether the material mined from the moon will even withstand the stresses of flight, but we need to find out if all of the computer analysis hold true in real life situation."

Glenn began to rub his hands together as he thought about the words he would speak next. "During this flight test, the majority of the Engineering and Aerospace divisions will be fully engrossed analyzing data pouring back to our servers." Another pause. "The L4 station will have about one hundred personnel on board, thirty percent of which will be military. A good portion will be some of the folks who have been working to put it together and are familiar with the craft's construction and operation. Sixteen of the personnel will be civilians who have not been in space yet. Now, because of the artificial gravity by the rotation of the craft there will be no weightlessness training required. So, they will begin to be transported directly to L4 beginning next week."

Curiosity got the best of her, so Sam went to the Table of Contents and found the Personnel section was in Section D, starting at page twenty-four. She knew the original number of civilians was fifteen. Now it had jumped to sixteen. While she flipped through the pages, she listened to Glenn.

"Now, most of the civilians who had been chosen a while back have the level of expertise required to support the mission. Most of the personnel have expertise in multiple functions. However, there is a need to add an additional resource."

Sam got to the list of personnel. Their name was in bold print, followed by a biography of who they were, what division they were in, and their experience and expertise. Flipping to the second page Mike Rossini's name jumped off the page at her. Her heart sank to the floor. This would mean Mike would be on special assignment out in space somewhere for nearly a half a year, and there was a possibility he might not come back alive.

"Because of the importance of the structural integrity of the craft, the decision has been made to include Mike Rossini," Glenn continued.

Murmuring amongst the group started. Sam found it hard to focus, and watch her arms drop away. She looked towards Glenn to find him studying her response.

"Now hold on, yes there is a level of risk in this mission. We obviously intend to be very careful. So, the decision to put this resource onboard is a difficult one, but necessary." He continued to watch Sam, hoping her response would be professional.

"Sam, can you please have a discussion with Mike to encourage him to be a part of this mission? I understand this is very short notice and he may have some family obligations or other extenuating circumstances, but we could really use his help with this program."

The murmuring continued, and Sam began to feel light headed. She knew this would be an impact to some of her programs, but the dread she was feeling was the result of her personal feelings for Mike. For the first time in her work life, tears began to swell and a lump formed in her throat.

Clearing her throat, she pulled herself together and looked up to Glenn. "Sure, I can discuss this with him." Her voice was a little shaky, but firm.

"Thank you Sam. We can't ask for more than that".

She quickly turned to the window ledge behind her and pretended to read the packet after she laid it on the sill.

"Please, Everyone!" Glenn struggled to regain control of the meeting. After he whistled loudly, everyone began to settle down. "For those of you, who have personnel leaving in the next week, please keep HR involved if your Associate is having difficulties. We also have additional help from our military friends who have experience with managing personnel with long tours of duty. So, there is a lot of help available to you."

Everyone had settled down, and the meeting was back under control. Sam turned away from the window to bring her attention back on Glenn. Glenn took a deep breath, and then made one final pitch. "So, you will be receiving two more emails after this meeting. One will be to schedule time for the transports and living arrangements. The other will be an invite to a web conference to begin a more detailed discussion of the program. Please read this packet before the web conference."

The chatter began to rise again as some of the people moved towards leaving the conference room. Glenn yelled out one more warning, "Everyone, remember none of this leaves this meeting until further notice. Thank you!"

Sam couldn't help but say under her breadth, "Yea, right." A woman next to her smirked along with her. She remained focused on Glenn. He looked concerned, but it did not look genuine. He was too calm, too conversational with the same people he spoken to earlier. Now he was avoiding direct eye contact with her.

His request was unprecedented. Some of the chosen Associates jumped at the opportunity, and she feared Mike would do the same. It is not every day you are given an opportunity to experience something like this, and least of all be paid for it. An adventure like this is too good to be true for someone like Mike.

There were groups of conversation occurring in pockets throughout the room, and people were lingering. Rather than fight her way through to the door, Sam began reviewing the rest of the names in the list. Many were qualified, as was Mike. There were five groups; Information Systems, Structural Engineering, Propulsion and Navigational Systems, Nuclear Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Each of the groups had three people for equal 8-hour rotations, except for Mike's group in which had four.

Looking back up at Glenn, she caught him looking over at her. The look on her face foretold him of the discussion she was going to have with him before he left the room. Therefore, he decided to get it over with while the fire was hot. He excused himself from the group he was speaking with, and moved around the table towards Sam. He approached her with his hands up in a surrendering motion.

"Sam, forgive me. I wanted to speak to you earlier, but you were busy and time was short. I was hoping you would heed my warning and come here before the meeting."

"Yea, well, business issue." Her response was curt. She was pissed, and she wanted answers. "Do you want to explain to me why Mike is so important to the program."

"You know as well as I do the stresses on the structure. Mike is the lead Designer, and knows the structure inside and out. So…"

"Cut the crap, Glenn. One moment you're trying to throw him into Federal prison, and the next you are sending him out into space." The room had emptied, so she stepped close to Glenn and wanted to poke his chest with her finger, but refrained from going that far.

"Whoa, listen. I am sorry about Steve actions this morning. I am sure his motivations were to impress me, but I had no involvement with what went down this morning." His tone was perfect, sincere. He had gotten very good at lying, and he actually enjoyed doing it.

"You are so full of shit!" She felt herself losing it. She took a step backwards, and took a deep breath. Glenn began to say something, but she held her hand up. "We're done here. This discussion is pointless."

Chapter 26

Sam left the conference room and headed straight for the steps. She often took the steps instead of the elevator, she consider it part of her exercise routine. The Engineering floor was several flights below, so she was able to move quickly. Once through the security doors, she immediately headed to Mike's desk. With the packet from the conference rolled up in her hand, she used it to knock on the entrance of the cubicle as she entered. Both Mike and Robert were seated at their desks staring into their monitors.

"Hey guys," Sam said she leaned against a portion of Robert's desk near the entrance.

"Oh, it's you." Mike said in a surprised tone. "No need to fake the work Robert, it only the Boss Lady." He turned away from his monitor and smiled at Sam. But he could see she was upset.

"Hey, what's the matter?" The genuine concern in his voice made Robert turn towards them.

Mike got up from his chair to offer it to Sam to sit in, but Sam just held up her hand to stop him before he asked. Then she looked at the ground to avoid his eyes.

"I just came from a meeting about the L4 flight test. They listed sixteen civilians who will be onboard for the 4 to 6 month tour in space." She paused for a short moment to catch her breath. Looking up at Mike she said, "And Mike you are now on the roster as one of the chosen participants".

Mike was stunned. He stood there and looked at her. He thought for sure she was going to say she had been chosen to go, but it was him. A part of him was happy, but another part of him was fearful and concerned. Fearful for the unknown, but concerned for how Sam was taking this. They both obviously liked one another deeply, but have never said it aloud. He had always given her space because of the complexity of their situation, but right at this moment he knew she need a hug as bad as he did.

Slowly he returned to his seat, with his hands on his knees, he looked up at her and said, "I am not going." Then he turned back to work at his computer.

"Yes you are," Sam said back to him a little annoyed that he turned away from her.

"No... I am not," Mike said to his screen.

Sam was clearly agitated. Through clenched teeth, and doing her best to keep her voice down, she leaned towards him and said, "Yes... You are!"

Knowing where this was going, Robert tried to interject, "Um, children?"

"No... I am not!" Mike responded not doing such a great job of keeping his voice down.

"Um, children? Maybe we should take this outside," Robert said moving closer so that he could slip in between them if it got out of control. Sam was on her feet, and she swatted Mike with the rolled up papers just below his neck.

"Damn it Mike, turn around and face me, you coward. Tell me why you won't go".

Slowly Mike turned around to find the rolled up papers in his face. He put his hand on hers to lower the roll of papers. "Because, I can't leave my baby. Who's going to take care of my car while I am gone?"

Sam recoiled at the response and started the inhale for a deep breath. Fortunately, for everyone else around them, Robert jumped between them and put his hands on Sam's shoulders. Looking into her glassy eyes, he spoke to her in a very low voice.

"He is a coward. He's afraid to hurt you." He felt the emotions were swelling up in her. There were too many for him to sort out. He needed to defuse the situation. "I think you need an ice cream, and he needs his pacifier," he softly said to her.

Sam recognized the wisdom of what Robert was saying. She tapped Robert on the chest with the roll of papers, and gave him a wink. Then she left the cubicle. He watched her walk down the aisle, eventually leaving the department. He turned back to Mike, finding him with his head in his hands, facing the monitors. With the back of his left hand, he wacked Mike across the left shoulder.

"Ouch! Damn it! You too?" Mike said as he rubbed his shoulder.

"You fucking idiot. Get your ass up, grow some balls, and go tell her how you feel about her." Robert was angry. He had sensed Sam's feeling, and was able to sort out some of the stronger ones of sadness and disappointment. He realized these charades have gone on long enough.

"Hell, I don't know where she has gone." Mike said throwing his hand up as if to wave Robert off.

Robert kicked Mike's chair where the back met the seat spinning Mike away from the desk. Surprised Mike straightened then stood up. "Alright, alright I get it."

"She's having ice cream in the cafeteria. Get your ass down there."

Mike slowly took the stairs down to the third floor where the cafeteria was located. When he entered, he looked around the large, empty room and saw she was seated at the farthest table from the door. She was staring out the window with her back to him and the rest of the room. Slowly he made his way to her. He took his time so he could think of what he would say. He tapped the back of some chairs as he past them to let her know someone was coming. As he approached, he could see her reflection in the glass. This gave him some relief because he knew that she knew he was coming.

He approached her to her right, and put his hands on the back of the chair to her right. "I am sorry," he said. Sam nodded quickly and continued to eat her chocolate covered vanilla ice cream Popsicle.

"Can I sit down?" His tone was sincere; he thought she might not want him there. Sam nodded again, and scooted her chair to her left an inch or so.

With her demeanor so far, he knew she was going to make this an uphill battle for him. But he was okay with that. In all the time he had known her, he has never seen her this upset. He was glad that it was over him that made her feel this way, but he was also sad that it was because of him.

Sam continued to stare out the window and slowly ate her Popsicle. She was very angry with him, but was even more upset with herself. Never has she behaved this way at work. She prided herself on the level of professionalism that she was known for. Moreover, she never behaved this way over any of the boyfriends she had had, let alone over a man that wasn't even her boyfriend. She really wasn't in the mood to hear any of his jokes or kidding around, but as a friend she just couldn't shun him away.

"Listen, I am really sorry for being such a prick," Mike said. "I realize I don't always say the right things..."

Even though Sam had not looked at him yet, she couldn't help but to look up and away from the canned words he was speaking. She had been secretly hoping something would occur between them, but was certain at this point that nothing ever would. Quietly she had been sitting here reviewing in her mind how the breakup would occur in a relationship that never existed, and now it was here. No doubt, she had Robert to thank for this occasion.

"... It just that I don't know what to do. This is obviously a great opportunity, but it is loaded with all types of risks. And the thought of being away from you for an entire half of year is unthinkable." Mike had to stop talking to swallow the lump in his throat.

Shocked by the words he was saying she began to shake a little. Sam did not know what to do. The words she was hearing were completely different than what she had prepared for. She couldn't help but to stop eating the Popsicle and to look at Mike.

Mike continued, "So listen, its obvious your talk with me did not go as planned."

"No, it didn't." she said faintly. "In fact, HR was supposed to have been involved."

Mike responded with a shocked look. "Good God! This would have been a train wreck," he said smiling.

"What do you mean? This is a train wreck," she said looking down at the melting ice cream advancing down the Popsicle stick getting close to her hand.

"I would like to make it up to you. Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

Sam was shocked. An actual date! The look on her face must have been priceless.

Quickly Mike responded to her reaction. "Yes just me and you alone so that we can talk about things."

Sam began to swell with emotions again. She felt herself getting flush, and the tears would not be too far behind. But she knew her response would kill their conversation.

"I can't Mike." Then she looked away. "I need to do a test fitting of my gown and get the rest of my outfit."

Mike felt the pain of being shot down, but had the wherewithal to not change his expression. "Not a problem," he said. "I realize this is really important. I understand." He saw she was about to get upset, and knew she would be more upset if it were to happen in front of him. So he began to get up to leave as he continued to talk to her.

"Would it be okay if I were to take you to dinner on Saturday night instead, maybe to La Dolce Maria's? I could wear one of my suites, and you could wear your gown".

Sam could not look up at him. The best she could do is nod her head quickly as she tried to hold back the tears. As Mike stood beside her, he reach around a cuddled his hand against her left cheek and felt some of the moisture from her tears. He bent over and kissed the top of her head. He knew she needed to be alone so he left her and went back to work.

Sam cried for a short while, but quickly pulled herself together and finished her Popsicle. She played the conversation over in her head several times studying how sweet Mike was with her. Suddenly, she began to feel the warmth of joy grow within herself, and for the first time that day she felt an uncontrollable smile overtake her as she thought about Darla's reaction to this news.

Chapter 27

Robert left work a little earlier than normal for a Wednesday afternoon. He took the twenty-minute bus ride back home, and was in his apartment just a few minutes after five o'clock. He locked the door, turned on some lights, and turn off his cell phone. He turned on the TV so there would be some sound should anyone come to his door, and then he went back to his bedroom.

He needed to speak with Saria. As a teacher, or whatever, she was doing a horrible job. All of the experiences he has had up to this point have left him angry and frustrated. Tonight would be the night he would get some answers. Kicking his shoes off, and fluffing the pillows on his bed, he lay down and made himself as comfortable as possible. Within a few minutes, he had calmed himself down and the familiar flash and popping sensation brought him to the Hall.

He was amazed at the clarity through which he could see. The colors were more vivid, and he was amazed at the number of light streaks that were around him. He wanted to zoom away from where he was, then to his surprise it happened. It was as if he floated up away from where he was standing. He felt like he was standing high up on a ledge looking down on a parade of lights.

He thought about Saria and how she said she would meet him here. Then everything beneath him began to move rapidly as if rotating underneath where he was standing. Since there were no points of reference, he wasn't sure if it were he that was moving, or everything else. He continued to focus on Saria, and the movement began to slow, but it grew closer to him. As if swooping in like a bird, he approached the two blue streaks that were intertwined and heading in the same direction.

As he got closer, he could see Saria was walking beside a man. Looking up he saw Uriel was floating above them. Within seconds, he was walking right beside Saria, but she acted as if he were not there. Feeling a little bold, he decided to call out to her. "Saria. Saria, we need to talk."

She quietly said something to Reme, and then they both stopped walking. Then from out of her blue self, Saria appeared looking as normal as he remembered her. She came towards him. The stopped images of her and Reme continued to move on leaving blurred blues streaks behind.

"Hello Robert," Saria said in a joyful voice. The blue images of Reme and her remained where they had stopped. "You found me. Very good. It seems you won't need me much longer."

"I wouldn't say that," Robert said with a chuckle. "My life is a mess right now with all that is going on". He spoke to her without taking his eyes off the blue image of her and Reme. Without letting her respond to what he said, he needed to ask her a question. "Can you see your image with Reme?"

"Yes I can." She looked at the image.

"Why can't I see mine when I leave my body?"

"Well, it appears that we are being blocked from seeing yours." Seeing that her answer did not satisfy Robert, she continued. "The light has given you a gift, and for reasons unbeknown to us, limits have been place on them. I would suspect those limits have been placed there to prevent you from affecting your free will."

"Why must you talk in riddles? Why can't you just level with me and be honest?"

"I am leveling with you and I am being quite honest. Something you have done in the past may affect what you might do in the future. You have been chosen to be awakened now for a reason. Try not to over think that."

"Well, things are getting complicated. I can't even have people touch me without picking up on their feelings or thoughts. I feel like I am going to lose my mind. A girl I know grabbed my arm today, and I picked up on what she was thinking and I could sense her feelings towards me."

"Well, you're not going to go crazy. Your ability to..." Saria paused as if to search for a word, "... link to others spiritually is very unique for someone at your level. It is however easy to block out. For example, think of holding a conversation with someone in a room with the TV on. Either you can focus on the person talking to you, or you can focus on the TV. The choice is yours. It is the same with these links."

"Okay, I will try to block things out by focusing on what is going on around me."

"Also, I will warn you. Do not get too emotionally close to anyone. Not only will you get hurt, but also you will most definitely unintentionally hurt someone you may care about. Sometimes, a person may hide feelings from another person until they can sort them out. Your gift will not allow that to happen. You will know others' feelings, which may cause you to prejudge that person. Also, you will begin notice that people will not warm up to you so easily. This is a defensive mechanism; other souls sense your ability and tend to stay away from it.

"How is that so?"

"Call it intuition. Everyone has some level of contact to the hall on a conscious level. This is done to recall memories. And everyone can communicate with the Hall at a subconscious level. Since these connections exist, others can sense your presence and how strong it is, and will instinctively avoid it. Not to worry though, if you are around them long enough they will warm up to you."

"I guess I'll be a loner for the rest of my life," Robert said sadly.

"Things could be worse. I believe you're strong enough. You'll get by."

Robert nodded and began to walk with Saria. "Okay so what is the plan? What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Well, originally I was here to make sure you understood the gifts you were given, and to teach you not to abuse them. Typically, a task for someone such as yourself is usually small with minimal impact to the greater good. Since then, the situation has changed and it appears your presence here may be of great importance. When you spoke to Uriel, he told you about Leviathan and the growing possibility that an escape from this place may occur. There is hope that you may alter events enough to help prevent that from happening."

"Wait, you said that I am not to interfere with others free will."

"That is correct." Then Saria started to say something, but stopped and began walking away from Robert. Slightly annoyed, Robert followed her. "You see Robert, I wanted you to follow me here. I did not grab your hand and pull you here, but YOU decided to follow me here. I did not interrupt your free will. I merely presented an opportunity for you to make a choice."

"Ah, very sneaky."

"Yes, sneaky. And believe me, Leviathan is a master of it. Because those that come here become so mesmerized by material things their hearts are easily swayed."

"So somehow, Leviathan will trick people into getting him close enough to the veil. I am here to help prevent that. The veil is in our sun, so I must keep him from getting close to the sun."

"Careful, Leviathan is here in whole spirit. Both parts, the yin and yang, male and female parts are here. Do not limit your thinking to believe that Leviathan can only interact with you at a male level. Leviathan has the mastery of both levels."

"You mean it is a hermaphrodite?" Robert began to show his confusion.

"Do not think in terms of sexuality only. Think of etha in terms of having the masculine qualities of your most fear male, and the cunning and conniving qualities of the most deceptive female you have ever known.

"Whoa, that is one seriously screwed up dude, or dudet, or whatever.

"An etha. That is what we call a spirit that is whole. There is a him, a her, and an etha as a whole," Saia said motioning with her hands.

"Okay, so back to the problem at hand. How do I keep etha from getting to the sun? If Leviathan wanted to, there are people up on L4 now who could be possessed, and ..."

"Yes, but Leviathan is bound to the earth, we must keep etha here. The capabilities your company has to pierce the veil is rather recent, so it is more than likely that Leviathan has only found out about this development recently as well; if at all."

"So, if I can find out who is going on the next shuttles, then we can keep an eye on them and look for signs of a possession." Saria nodded in agreement.

Robert thought for a short while. Then he turned to Saria, "Do you know where he is now?"

"Unfortunately no. He has hidden himself in another's body, so we cannot find etha that easily."

"You mean like a demon possessing someone's body?"

"Exactly. You must remember that in earlier times, that is what we did when we came to this place. We possessed the bodies of different life forms to gain our experiences. The problem is, there are so many bodies and Leviathan is so adept and skillful, it is nearly impossible to spot etha unless you are next to the body."

"So why do you need me? Why don't you, Uriel, and Reme keep an eye on those getting on a shuttle and prevent Leviathan from escaping?"

"Two reasons. First, if that battle were to take place here, the collateral damage would be devastating on your generation. There have been many prophecies about such an event, but now is not the time of it. Secondly, since recent events have change destiny, Leviathan's premature departure from here has become more likely. Therefore, we three will be leaving soon to join forces with our consortium on the other side of the veil. Should Leviathan get through, we will be needed for the battle there. You and several others like you are here to help on this side."

"There are others like me?"

"Yes, in various parts of your world." Saria said solemnly. Robert began to get excited at the prospect of having help from someone else.

"Do not get your hopes up Robert, their anonymity is by design. Having you collaborate with others of your skill could be devastating to you or this planet. Therefore, I will not know who or where they are until I have passed through the veil."

"Damn, I am going to need help. I am not a Super Hero, nor do I really know what I am doing. And based on what I have heard so far, I will be in middle of all of this."

Well, then you must find a way to keep the shuttles from leaving this planet." Saria said as if the problem is solved.

"No." Robert said in an annoyed way. "That is not possible. I am a small peon in a big global organization. I cannot just stop the shuttles from launching." After some thought, Robert then said, "Wait, if I can determine who Leviathan is possessing, could you help me at a spiritual level to contain Leviathan, while I work at the physical level to keep the person off the shuttle?"

"If Leviathan possesses a body, the three of us could make it very difficult to jump to another body. Taking on a possession is not easy if the soul is not willing. For now though, you will need to determine who is clean and who does Leviathan possess.

"How do I know if someone is clean?"

"Well, when you visit them here in the Hall, the person's image will have a glow or shadow of another color. When you see that, you know you have found a possessor."

"Wait a minute. I saw that with Glenn during my first visit here, his orange shape has a green hue or shadow!" Robert felt he had solve were Leviathan was hiding.

"Green you say? That may not be Leviathan, but a follower of his. Leviathan will be violet, or blue depending on whether he has lost some of his favor by forcing people to do things."

"You mean he can go down in color, or a stature?"

"Oh yes. Remember, it is a law. If you directly force another to do something that they do not want to, your soul will die a death that will take millennia's to recover from. You can rest assure though, one that has Leviathan skill level will keep their knowledge and not die the death. I can attest to that."

"Okay, well the first step will be to get a list of names that will be going to the station, like Mike, and look at their record here in the Hall. All I need to do is think of their name when I know it, and I'll find them here."

"That will not be possible. We do not have the permission to impose on anyone we want. The only way to get to their record directly is to have had physical contact with them. Once you have 'linked' with them as you had said earlier, then you will be able to jump directly to their record."

"Okay. Then I will need to get the list from Sam, and then find the ones that work in my office. Once I know who they are, all I have to do is bump into them or touch them in some way."

"Do you think Sam will let you see the list?"

"I hope so. The real problem will be to get to the people before they start leaving next week."

Chapter 28

Saria turned to Robert. "Let's try an experiment." Robert nodded at her. "Think about the girl who had touched your arm, and we'll go a visit her."

"Whoa, what if she is doing something personal." Robert felt wrong spying on his friends.

"Oh, yes. Well, we will know as we approach, and we will stop before we get too close to see anything." Saria then put her hand on Robert's shoulder.

"Okay, but I don't like this." Robert thought about Darla, and he felt as though he had floated away from where they were, over to where Darla was. As they approached, they saw that there were many streams of light around her. As they got closer the streams of light thinned out until, they got close enough to see Darla talking with Sam and another woman.

The three of them were three dimensional orange images of themselves. The images were blurry as a streak of solid color trailed away from them. He and Sarai had to walk to keep up with them. "It looks as though she is out shopping with Sam." Robert said.

"Yes, so she is. Okay, this is what I would like you to do, step over to Darla's image and touch it. Then step away quickly."

"I don't like this." Robert said uncomfortably.

"Trust me," Saria said reassuringly as she grab hold of his shoulder once again.

As Robert and Saria approached Darla's blurry image, he could hear they were talking about shoes. When he touched Darla's shoulder, he felt a tingling sensation in his fingers. At that same moment, as if a light had been switched on, he and Saria were standing in the shoe store were Darla and Sam were shopping. Startled, Robert pulled his hand back away from Darla, and then he looked back at Saria. Saria smiled and took her hand off his shoulder and began to back away from him.

Darla suddenly stopped talking and felt as though someone was behind her. Slowly she looked over her shoulder, and let out a sudden gasp when she caught a shadow out of the corner her eye. Robert froze. He was staring right at her face

"What's the matter?" Sam asked while looking at herself as she modeled a pair of high heels.

"I thought there was someone behind me?" Darla quickly turned back to Sam and walked away from where she standing in front of Robert "That was creepy," she said when she got close to Sam.

Robert was frozen solid. He did not know what he had done, nor what he should do. Saria walked up beside him. "Didn't I tell you to step back after touching her?"

"What just happened?" Robert said confused.

"You are aligned with all of Darla's sub-conscious. Instead of reviewing the memories, you are actually witnessing them real time." Saria said softly.

"I wonder what Robert is doing tonight?" Darla asked Sam in a nonchalant way. Robert quickly turned to Darla when he heard his name.

"Oh, I don't know. He could be doing anything. Someone has a boy on her brain. What's going on Darla? You seem to be awfully interested in Robert these days." Sam's said teasing Darla.

Saria grabbed Robert by the arm and took him away from the conversation. "Hey, wait." Robert said. "The conversation is getting good."

"Ah uh. I thought you didn't want to easy drop. Okay, so let's review what's going on with us. Touching Darla tuned you into Darla's memories real time. In doing so, her soul sensed your presence, which is why you scared her. She thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, because subconsciously, she knew you were there. However, her conscious senses, like her eyes, could not confirm, so there was confusion. Also, you've notice that she is now talking about you. Subconsciously, you have jumped into her thoughts."

"Wow, that's pretty wild," Robert said surprised about what was happening.

"It is important to understand that when you do this, you do not go unnoticed. Realize that her subconscious and we share the same conduit. Because her conscious mind has more control at this time, she ignores her subconscious mind."

"So, could I communicate with her subconscious now?" Robert began to understand just how powerful this could be.

"Yes, you can. As long as you..."

"...do not alter her free will." Robert said completing her sentence. "Yes, yes, I know." Robert notice, that as he spoke to Saria, everything around him was moving. As he watched, both he and Saria went through the front window of the shop and were now outside.

As he continued to look around, Saria noticed his confusion. "Darla is on the move. Since we have located ourselves in her subconscious mind, we will move in the same relative position as she moves."

Robert moved a little closer to Darla, but Saria put her hand on his shoulder. "Do not move around so much. If you walk into her view, her subconscious mind will try to register your movements with her eyes, and you'll wind up making her paranoid and nervous. In the same way, don't touch or speak to her. Again, her subconscious mind will try to get those senses to recognize your presences. This may not always be the case, but it does seem that Darla is in tune with you though."

"Okay. So, are you and I in our conscious or subconscious right now?"

"Excellent question!" Saria was excited that Robert was catching on. "This is our subconscious minds. Only the subconscious mind can access the Hall. Sometime the conscious mind needs to recall a distant memory. To do so, the subconscious mind must go and fetch it. That is why somethings come to you after you had thought about it for a while, or after you awake from a dream. Therefore, in here, you communicate at the subconscious level. There was a time, long ago, when we first visited this place we were able to be aware of both levels. But that is now forbidden for your generation now that the veil is in place, and one part of the spirit can visit at a time."

"Can anybody else do this?"

"Many other life forms are able to directly connect to the Hall. Nearly all of the animals and insects. What you would call instinct. Some actually pull memories from the Hall from others of their kind. This helps with instincts, or communicating where to find food, etc."

"Wow." Robert was amazed at the possibilities and was beginning to get lost in all of the information he was exposed to.

"So, you can understand how you can experience what is going on real time." Robert nodded. "Okay then, I need to show you one more thing." She put her hand on his shoulder. "To disconnect from her conduit, just think about being back in the hall." Robert closed his eyes, and thought about the Hall and the streams of light. No sooner had he thought it that all of the sounds and smells from the street where gone. He opened his eye to find he was in the Hall again.

"Saria, will I be able to do this without you touching me?"

"You are doing this. I am touching your shoulder so that I can stay linked with you. If I weren't touching you, we would get separated."

"Okay I get it." Looking around they were standing at a point where the images of Sam and Darla were frozen walking beside one another. Their light trails continued off ahead of them.

"Now, for the part that will really wow you. Follow me." She moved quickly following the stream of light images that made up Sam and Darla. Robert had to quickly walk with her to keep up. When she got to the point where the streams of light were not solid she slowed a little but kept ahead of the Sam and Darla. Here the streams of light gradually smeared and fanned out and overlapping with different images. The further out Robert looked the less bright and more convoluted the streams of light were.

"Okay, so this is the probability of their future. Everything is blurred, but there is some data that can be gathered." Robert followed as Saria walked into the smeared light streams. "You can see that they walk together for a while, and that others' memories are passing through them. As long as they remain on this path, what you are seeing is what life forces they will interact with. If for any reason, one of them should unpredictably stop and let's say look in a window, this all could change."

"Wow, this is pretty cool," Robert was looking around taking it all in as they walked along. Then suddenly, he lost the girls' streams of light. "Hey, where did they go? Did something change?"

"Maybe, let's go back and see."

When they stepped back a few step, they found Sam on the ground and Darla besides her crying. Stepping back further, they could see a stream of light had come across the front of Sam, and then Sam fell to the ground.

"What is this, who is this stream of light?" Robert said in a panic.

Saria was a little more calm when she responded, "Well, that persons seems to be seated, so I would guess Sam is hit by a vehicle while walking and talking with Darla."

"What! Are you kidding me?"

"No, I think that is the most likely answer."

Robert began running back through the girls' images. When he caught up to them he touched Sam, and then kept moving so he was behind her. Instantly, he was on the sidewalk with the girls and other people around them. He could see up ahead where the sidewalk ended at a street intersection. There was light traffic on the street, and he could see the cars on that road had a green light.

Robert quickly caught up behind the girls as they walked in front of him. Sam was to Darla's left, and she playfully swung her shopping bag as the two talked. Sam continually looked over to Darla, and Robert could see how the accident would occur. The girls were getting close to the street, and Robert knew he had to do something. He quickened his paced to get close behind Sam.

"Don't you do it!" He heard Saria yell from behind. "You had better not interfere!"

Robert ignored Saria. The girls were a few steps from the street, and Darla said something that made Sam laugh wildly. Robert, from behind Sam, quickly clapped his hands behind Sam's left ear.

Sam was startled. She quickly looked to her left to see what had made a loud noise in her ear, and saw the car coming up quickly close to the curb. She stopped suddenly, and reached over to Darla and stopped her. The car passed close in front of them. Darla let out a small scream when she saw just how close they had come to the passing car.

After a few more cars passed, Sam, Darla, and the rest of the people walking with the girls crossed the road. Robert floated behind them. Knowing they were safe, he returned to the Hall.

Saria was standing a short distance behind him. The anger she showed was nothing he had ever seen from her before.

"You are not to interfere in that way." Her voice was stern and angry. "There are many reasons for how things happen. It is not for you to decide."

"I could not just let her get ran over by a car. I was acting as... a Guardian Angel."

"You are not her Guardian Angel! That is her own spirits job! If her spirit wanted her sojourn to continue, it would have intervened in one way or another. How do you know if that wasn't her time to go home! How do you know if you haven't messed up a plan for her soul? These things are not your decision. Do not interfere!"

"I am sorry. I couldn't let her die in front of me when I could do something about it."

Saria sighed. "Robert, you must understand, the death of a body, though sad, is not as bad as the death of a soul. If you interfere like that, and you inadvertently change something of great importance, you will witness the pain of your own soul dying as your learnings and knowledge are stripped from you."

"What exactly happens when we die? I am confused by the soul dying the death. What exactly is that?"

"Do not confuse the death of your body with the death of your soul. The death of your body releases your soul so that it can eventually return to your spirit. Sometimes the spirit is near, and can help the soul disengage from the body. If it isn't, the soul may linger, staying attached to the body. The quicker your soul returns to your spirit, the sooner your spirit will be ready for another sojourn. Long ago, we used to burn the body to quicken the separation. But that is not done so much anymore. "

Saria sighed, realizing that Robert had a lot to learn. "After the death of a body, the soul, having acquired more knowledge returns to the spirit, thus increasing the stature of your spirit. However, if you break thee law, either in body or here in the Hall, you will lose stature. Your soul dies a little. Though the pain is not noticeable while in the conscious, is fully experienced while in the subconscious. If you lose enough stature, you will be relegated as a low level entity and will have to start rebuilding your stature all over again."

"Just how painful is this death?"

"Well, you cannot think of it in terms of cutting your finger or hitting your head. It is not a physical pain. The anguish, the desperation, the hopelessness that is experienced as all that you have learned and experienced is torn away from your spirit is more agonizing than having your physical body fall into a vat of boiling oil. It is important to know, that all that you know and have experienced is what constitutes your spirit. To have all of that ripped away from your spirit is an unimaginable loss."

Robert stopped walking to take a moment to think about what Saria was saying. "When I first visited here, someone or something saw me here and attacked me. The pain I felt, and the squeezing a suffocating sensation I felt was unbearable. Fortunately, I was able to escape. Is that what you are talking about?"

Saria sighed, "No Robert, not even close. I have personally witnessed a spirit die the death. I cannot begin to tell you the pain that I witnessed and the sadness I felt. There was nothing anyone could do. You see, the death is caused by one's self not by what one can inflict on another. No, what you witness was a poor attempt to hurt your physical body by forcing a distant memory on you. Keep in mind, your subconscious mind is a powerful influence on your physical body and the body' conscious. And as you know, if your body dies, then your soul would be forced to leave and return to your spirit."

"So, a fight here in the Hall could have an impact on my conscious self."

"That is correct. Both your conscious self and the body's conscious. There are three levels of consciousness. The lowest is the body conscious, then your consciousness, and finally what you call the sub consciousness. You know about the consciousness and the sub consciousness. The body's consciousness is the mechanism of a living organism; what keeps it alive and functioning."

Both remained quiet for a while as the light streaks passed around them. They hadn't walked far from the busy street that Sam and Darla had walked down. So it was obvious that others were still out enjoying their evening.

"Well, I am going to go now Robert. It is getting close to my end time here on this world. I will be around for a short while, so do not worry." Saria put her arm around the back of Robert to give him a hug.

"As long as you remember what is truly important, you should have no trouble." She moved around to face Robert, and grabbed both of his hands to be sure she had his attention

"Listen to me closely. You are of this world. You do not understand the spirit world. So you need to listen to me. The spirit is more important than the body. The body is a gift from the Great Parent. The desire to come, to be invited to this world is wanted by every spirit. So it must be cherished and not abused. Understand, there is a time to be here, and a time to leave here. That is determined between your spirit and the Great Parent. For a soul to determine without the true knowledge is unforgivable. The price that you would pay would be to lose all that your spirit had attained. However, to sacrifice one's self in a selfless act to benefit another is to be revered. But you did not do that," she said letting go of his left hand to poke him in the chest. "You acted foolishly and interfered. Pray that this may be forgiven, and that your further ventures will not be judged too harshly."

With that, Saria vanished from Robert. He stood alone there for a moment thinking about all that she had said. Worried that he clearly over stepped his bounds, he felt afraid and alone. Without effort, he thought about the bright flash in his head, and found himself in his bedroom lying on his back in his bed surprised by the tears running down the sides of his head.

Chapter 29

Glenn arrived at his home a little later than he had wanted. The complexities at work were getting larger, and he felt that the issues were not moving forward. He was looking forward to retiring to his study with a martini, and mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV. Unfortunately, chaos surrounded him after exiting the limousine and walking through the front door of him home.

The foyer was in complete disarray. Furniture from other rooms were place without any order, area rugs and runners were strewn about, and a coffee table blocked his entry through the main door way. His aggravation mounted as he realized that spending the evening sitting numbly in front of the TV was fading away into a distant dream.

"Preston! What the hell is going on for Christ sake?" His voice was louder than he had expected, but he did not care.

"Can I please enter my God damn home? Where the hell are you?" He pushed the coffee table with his foot and it slid into a high back chair that was normally in the Great Room.

Preston came quickly from the left wing of the house where the Dining room and kitchen were located. In his hand was a tumbler glass with two olives swirling around the bottom.

"So, sorry sir. We were making good headway to clear this area of the mess, but Fernando had fallen while carrying a chair and that had set us behind." Reaching Glenn quickly he handed him the martini. Glenn looked awkwardly at the glass, and Preston shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry sir, but we have made some great headway in preparation for the party."

Downing a good portion of the drink, Glenn felt its warmth careen through his body to begin its difficult task of unwinding the muscles in his neck and back. Preston took his briefcase. "Sir, please, let me show what we have done to accommodate your guest. I am certain you will be impressed with the dining arrangements."

Glenn nodded, and took another swig of the potent elixir. Realizing to himself there was a lot of work to be done to prepare for the party, he summoned some patience and turned towards the dining room. Grabbing his arm, Preston gently swung him around to the other wing of the house were the living room and Great Room were located.

"No, you don't want to go in there just yet, the dining arrangement have been made to the Great Room. It is the only room big enough to seat your 50 guests."

They walked through the living room, which was a larger rectangular room that had been slightly transformed. Glenn notice that the seating in the room was moved around slightly allowing more open space in the center of the room. Along the back wall, a small bar had been set up to serve drinks to the guests. As they entered the Great Room, Glenn nearly choked on the sip of his drink he had taken.

He was amazed at the transformation of the room itself. A large set table, in the shape of a 'U', was place in the center of the room. Two chandeliers were hung and serving tables had been placed around the perimeter. Decorative touches throughout the room added a touch of formality. If one had never been to his home before, they would not have known this was not the dining room. Glenn looked around in amazement, and then he found a chair that was close to him to sit in. "Preston, my good man, this room looks fabulous," Glenn said in awe.

"Yes, George is doing an excellent job as always. I hope you do not mind the 'U' shaped table, it is a bit unorthodox but everyone should have a better view with such a large guest list."

"No, Preston I believe this will work nicely. What are the rest of the plans? I am guessing it will not be Romper Room in the foyer when the guests arrive."

Preston genuinely chuckled at the remark. He sensed Glenn was relaxing and that he could converse with him in a more relaxed manner. "No, the foyer will be clear so that the guests may arrive and either go towards the living room, or the other dining room to get a drink and mingle. The doors to this room will be shut when they are arriving. Both bathrooms, the one at the top of the stairs, as well as the bathroom off the foyer will be available. Finally, the doors to the porch off of the Great Room here will be open after diner allowing access to the grounds."

"I hear there may be rain." Glenn said swirling the olives around in his empty glass.

"There may be a chance, but there is plenty of room here in the house should that occur. Here, let me refresh that for you." Preston took the glass and started to walk back towards the kitchen

"No. Instead, why don't you pour us both some Brandy from the bar right over there." Glenn was motioning to the temporary bar that was set up in the Living Room.

"It seems we've both been working our asses off today. We both could use a drink." Preston nodded in agreement, as he reached the bar and began pouring the drinks.

When Preston returned, Glenn was looking about the room while tapping his finger on the table. "Things are not going well at work?" Preston said as he offered the glass to Glenn.

"Some good some bad."

"Sounds typical." Preston nodded as he sat in his chair.

"Oh, yea. I took your advice and scheduled Mike Rossini to be onboard for the L4 flight test."

Preston had to think for a moment about what Glenn was talking about. "Wait, are you kidding me! You assigned him to the test group for the Space Station?" Glenn nodded with a huge smile on his face. "Oh, that's precious. And if he doesn't go, he's out."

"Oh, don't worry, he'll go. Without my Daddy around to protect him, he'll have no choice but to go."

"What about what he is involved with here. Won't it be difficult back filling for him?" Preston took a sip of his drink.

"It was pretty ease actually. I simply assigned his ass to the L4 Flight Test team." A big smile came across Glenn's face. "Samantha didn't put up too big of a fight, and he'll be gone for a good six months. Wandering around in space," Glenn said with a chuckle as he wiggled his fingers in the air.

"This is good. So when does he leave?" Preston asked to keep the conversation going.

"Next week".

"Wow, that pretty aggressive. What's the rush?"

"I accelerated the program because of Solarius. The flight path of L4 will put it in a good position to launch the Solarius probes." Taking a sip, he studied Preston's reaction. "By the way, I am hoping you started to get your feet wet in the program."

"Yes I have," Preston said enthusiastically. "I have set up my environment, and have spoken to the Team Lead on L4 just this afternoon. So far, it seems there should be a smooth start."

"Excellent. This is a pivotal moment for my company. L4 will give us the ability to travel quickly and easily throughout our solar system allowing exploration to be a breeze." Glenn rose from his chair and put his empty glass on the table. "Solarius, on the other hand, may hold the key to exploring the universe. One of the topics on Friday evening will be how Raythian will conquer not only the planets around us, but our Sun as well."

Preston was overwhelmed and got excited. He truly felt he was a part of this historical feat, and was proud to be working under Glenn. Tipping the last of his drink towards Glenn, Preston saluted Glenn, "Here's to you Sir. It is an honor to serve under a vision."

"Well, thank you Preston. You have done some fabulous work here making this coming Friday''s evening the success it will be. It will be an important night. As you know, I have also invited Samantha to be my guest. There may be a little work necessary to woo her back from being angry with me, but I have a feeling it will be a very successful night, now that Mike will be out of the picture."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I will make sure things are in order throughout the entire house including your private bedroom," Preston said with a reassuring nod. "I take it then, that late night activities will not be needed afterwards?"

Glenn thought for a moment. "Not sure, Preston. I am certain the other boys will be excited, and I may still have some energy after my date. How much notice do you need?"

"Oh, only an hour or so to bring the guest. The facilities are always primed and ready to go." Preston's smile turned into a subtle laugh when he saw how impressed Glenn was with his answer.

 **REVEALED**

Chapter 30

Robert knew his only option to get a jump on the names of the people that are being deployed to L4 was to get it from Sam. He spent most of his morning passing time at his desk, and the other half trying to catch Sam between meetings. He knew that she often would visit Darla in the IT department when she had a chance, so he thought he would try walking through the IT department in the hopes of running into her.

The atmosphere in the IT department was much the same as the Engineering department. Most everyone was at their desk staring into their monitor, while small groups of people held meetings at a person's desk. Most everyone knew who he was, so he felt quite comfortable walking through the department. The floor plan of this department was identical to the Engineering's department floor plan, except there were more conference rooms and small offices around the perimeter.

As he headed down the main aisle towards the entrance of the department, he casually looked towards Darla's cubicle just ahead to his right. Though he did not see the top of Sam's head, he hoped she would be still be in there leaning against a desk top. He slowed and continued to look into the cubicle as he approached its entrance, he then found himself staring right at Darla as she was getting up out of her seat.

Their eyes met, and he noticed Darla was surprised to see him, and had a slight smile on her face. He knew he had to say something. "Hey Darla. How are you doing?" He felt awkward and out of place.

"I am just fine. And how are you?" She slowed her pace slightly, but continued forward until she was at the entrance of her cubicle.

"I'm okay. No, strike that. A little frustrated that I can't catch up to Sam. She seems to be bouncing around a lot." He was a little embarrassed that he couldn't help but smile at her.

"Well, you just missed her. She was just here. You're right too. She is a little jumpy today." Robert couldn't help but noticed how nice she looked in the fitted jeans and polo shirt. He knew he should say something, but his mind was a complete blank. It took a while for him to think what would be the most logical thing to say next. Darla recognized the awkward pause and let out a slight giggle. "Well, she was just here a minute ago."

"Oh, um, do you know where she was going?" Robert knew he looked silly now.

"Yep. To the Lady's room," Darla said playfully. Then she waited for his reaction. Robert showed a little distress towards the answer, so she felt she couldn't leave him hanging too long. "Then she is going to meet me in the cafeteria. So let's go have some lunch."

She grabbed Robert's arm and pulled him along with her down the aisle to the exit of the department. Robert was a little shocked by her boldness, and was relieved when she let his arm go after a few steps. Unfortunately, though, he would now have to think of something to talk about as they made their way to the cafeteria.

They exited the IT department and headed towards the steps. The cafeteria was only one flight down, so it was better than waiting for the elevator. Robert opened the door for Darla and allowed her into the stairwell. Instead of trotting down the steps as he anticipated, Darla took each step one at a time. Darla noticed his aggravation, but kept her pace anyway. She reveled in knowing she had his undivided attention for a few minutes.

"So, what is so important that you've been hunting Sam down?" She hoped a little conversation would put him at ease.

"Well, I have some questions I need to ask her about the L4 flight test." He figured he'd start out being honest.

"Yes I heard about that. That sounds real exciting, but I don't think I would like to be up in space away from home that long."

"Oh, so you are not going," Robert said in a playful manner.

"No, no, not me. I am not important enough." Darla said acting hurt. "Are you going? Or do you know of anyone who is going?"

Robert was caught off guard. He couldn't be sure what Sam had told her. "Um". He thought it best to play ignorant. "Um, no and no." As they reached the third floor, Robert opened the door for her and waited for her to pass through.

"Well, aren't you just the Gentleman. That's two in a row." Darla said with a smile as she walked through the door. Robert gave her a big smile, and then followed her down the short hallway into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was moderately full and loud from the conversations and the clattering of the dishes. Robert looked around for Sam, or anyone she would normally dine with. Within moments though, he felt the tap of the back of Darla's hand against his arm. Looking over at her, he noticed she was pointing to a table towards the windows that Sam was standing at. They quickly moved through the crowd towards the tables.

Darla moved a little quicker than Robert and reached Sam first. Sam saw Darla approaching and turned towards her.

"Hey Darla," Sam said. Noticing Robert was coming up from behind, Sam signaled to both of them. "Come on, let's grab a bite. A few seats will be opening up at this table. So we'll be able to squeeze in when we get back."

Darla led the way with Robert bringing up the rear. All three headed for the salad bar. This wasn't the top item on Roberts' menu, but he needed to speak to Sam.

Darla popped an olive into her mouth that rolled off her plate onto her tray. While she chewed, she spoke to Sam. "Sam, Robert over there has been looking for you all morning."

"Really? All morning? There must be something important on his mind."

Robert felt the makings of another teasing session coming on. This happens often when these two women get together. The problem was, he wasn't in the mood, and he needed to be tactful.

"Well, perhaps he needs to tell you the shoes you should be buying to go with that gown you've bought," Darla said with a smile. This drew a chuckle out of Sam, but Robert needed to nip this in the bud. He needed to know if Sam knew the names.

"Well, I think the 4 inch black heels will go nicely with your gown," Robert said not looking up. Both girls stood there holding their trays staring at him. He took his time, but eventually looked up at both of them to meet their gaze with a smile.

Sam had no expression, but Darla was clearly shocked.

"Creepy," Darla said slowly in a low voice. Then she left them to pay for her salad. Sam remained with Robert. She continued to stare at him expecting an explanation.

Robert watched Darla leave, and then returned to Sam's gaze. He shrugged his shoulders then said, "I expect they would be the perfect match to the gown I had guessed earlier."

Sam nodded slowly to show her doubt, and then turned to walk to the cashier. Robert knew this was his only chance. "Ah, Sam!" He said quickly to draw her attention back to him. She came back to the salad bar. "I was wondering if you could tell me who has been chosen for the test mission for the L4."

"No Robert, I can't tell you that." She said curtly. "Why would you need to know that information?"

"Well, I was hoping to learn where we will be shorthanded so that I can make the appropriate changes to cover our asses." Sam cocked her head as though she were trying to make sense of what he said.

"You see," he continued, "I would like to be more involved in other programs if it is possible. So, if I can get a jump on where there will be a shortage of resources, perhaps I could be called upon to help out."

Sam smiled at him. "There is no need to be concerned about resource shortages. Besides, you are already up to speed on many of the programs that will be affected".

"Oh, so you do know who else will be going," Robert said as they began walking to the cashier.

"Well, not off the top of my head. I mean the names are in the meeting nnotes they passed out. But, regardless, that is information that cannot be distributed at this time."

A big smile came across Robert's face. He had just hit the jackpot. He knew now, that he could go back into Sam's memory to retrieve the information. He remembered she hit Mike with a roll of papers after that meeting, and he guessed they were the meeting notes. All he needed to do now, was follow her memories back to when she looked at the sheet and then retrieve the names.

They paid for their salads and headed to the table. Darla was there with a girl from the accounting department who was getting ready to leave. Sam and Robert took their seats and began to eat their lunch. The talk at the table amongst the three of them was light as they ate their lunch. As Robert was finishing up, he was startled by the grip of two firm hands on his shoulders and the thumbs messaging the muscled below his neck.

"Hello Mr. Robert, Lady Darla, and Boss Lady Sam."

The soft low rumbling voice came from Luther Crossman, the daytime Custodian that seemed to be friends with everyone. He is a medium height white man in his mid-fifties with graying hair. He is stocky, more muscular than over weight, and enjoyed passing his time talking with anyone who would listen. He preferred the company of the Engineering group, and usually could make anyone laugh without an effort.

The girls laughed and quickly started into a conversation. Robert smiled along with them, but began to get caught up in the gentle, but strong grips on his shoulders. As Luther's right hand moved slightly up Robert's shoulder, his finger touched Robert's neck. Robert began to feel Luther's pains, worries and concerns. Finding it difficult to avoid them, Robert let himself get lost in the thoughts and feelings. With the familiar golden white flash and the popping sensations Robert found himself in the Hall with the orange images of Darla and Sam sitting in front of him.

The view and feel were different this time. He was clearly in Luther's light streak, and found it easy to focus on the worried feeling that Luther was experiencing. He could also feel Luther's nervous stomach, and could sense his conflicted thoughts. Those thoughts centered around whether placing money on a horse by the name of Snow White was the right thing to do.

As Robert focused on the feeling of worry, he was drawn into Luther's future. He moved quickly and found it difficult to focus on any one scene as the wispy images moved past him. When he came to a stop, Robert could barely make out Luther's image standing with another person. The worried feeling was strongest here, but the images were barely discernable. Robert could sense that Luther was handing some money to someone.

Robert quickly went back to the current time, and found not much had changed at the lunch table. Focusing on Luther's concerns, he was then drawn back into Luther's past records. Here the view was different. The images were well defined and solid. Quickly he moved backwards through Luther's day until the concerned feeling became strongest. Examining the images around him, he found Luther intently talking to a woman. Off to the side was a young girl, sitting at a table eating.

The images were frozen, there was no sound, but Robert understood an argument was happening. Frustrated, Robert decided to slowly head back towards the present. As he did so, the images moved as if he were walking through a movie. He noticed at that time he could sense all of what Luther was sensing. It was very confusing with so much information occurring at one time, and Robert began to feel light headed and sick. He closed his eye and focused only on what Luther was saying and hearing. The argument was with his wife, Julian, regarding the birthday of their young daughter, Trisha. Luther was promising to be home right after work.

Obviously, Luther had other plans, but said nothing to his wife. He wanted to get to the Bookie before the race, so he knew he would be late getting home. His wife could tell something not right, and continued to press Luther. Finally, Luther yelled back in anger, and stormed out of the house.

Robert had heard enough and pulled away from Luther's memory streak. He then heard voices in the distance calling his own name. He popped out of the Hall back into his conscious self and opened his eyes. Darla was no longer at the table, Sam was seated across the table looking at him strangely, and Luther was still behind him patting his right shoulder.

"Are you all right son? Did you fall asleep on us or somethin'?" Luther sounded concerned.

Robert cleared his throat, and stared back at Sam. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. He knew she suspected something. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest. He cleared his throat again, looked up, and back towards Luther.

"Sorry, Luther. I kind of phased out there for a second." He smiled at Luther, and looked deep into his hazel eyes. He knew more about Luther than he wanted to at this point, but he still wanted to help his friend.

Patting Robert on the shoulder again, Luther was unaware Robert had gone into a trance state. "No problem son." Luther let out a small laugh. "I don't put many people to sleep."

"No, it wasn't that." Robert felt an impending need to do something. He began to get up out of his seat. "Listen, Luther. How's that daughter of yours doing these days? Trish, right? Geez, she must be what, 12 or 13 years old now."

"Na, she's only eleven. Cute as a button that little princess of mine." Luther looked at the floor, not focused anything but the image of his daughter in his mind. "Yep, she turns eleven today in fact." Luther beamed with a smile.

"Today is her Birthday!" Robert said excitedly. "Jeez, I remember when you had brought her in for "Children's Day" a few years back. Damn, she was somethin' else."

"Yea" Luther drew in a long sigh. "She wanted to help me empty every trashcan." Sam couldn't help but laugh as she remembered that day.

"Well, listen," Robert said as he reached in his pocket. "I'm going to take up a collection from everyone in Engineering to buy her a birthday present. So I'll tell you what. You know what she would like. Right?" Robert pulled the cash from his pocket. "Please, take this and buy her something really nice from all of us here,"

"No, I couldn't do that. That is really nice of you and all, but I couldn't." Luther backed away when he saw the crumpled stack of bills with at least five twenty-dollar bills on top.

"Robert grabbed Luther's hand and put the stack of bills in it and rolled Luther's hand shut. "Listen, you mean a lot to all of us. And the picture you keep of her on your desk in the store room just melts our hearts when we see it." He turned to Sam for some support, and she nodded enthusiastically. "So please. For today, just forget all those other Snow Whites out there and buy your favorite Princess something she would like on your way home."

Luther's expression went blank, and his whole demeanor changed in an instant when he heard Robert say Snow White. He pulled his hand away from Robert and he looked at Sam.

"Please, from all of us." Sam said with a warm smile.

Luther felt his eyes tearing up as he looked down at the money in his hand. "I don't know what to say." He said humbly.

"Please tell her we said happy birthday," Sam said gently.

Luther just smiled and turned away. As Robert watched Luther walk away, he reviewed all that he had learned, and wondered if what he had done was the right thing. Obviously, Luther could put all that Robert had given him as a bet on the horse.

Then Robert's train of thought was broken by the stern voice of Sam who was still seated at the table. "Sit down."

Robert looked back at Sam. She was leaning back in her chair with her arms still folded across her chest.

"Sit. Please." She said sternly as Robert adjusted his chair and sat back down across the table from Sam. He pretended to act a little confused about why she was being so stern with him. As he took a breadth to say something, she quickly responded by holding up her index finger as a signal to wait.

"Now, this will be the third time I will ask you this." Sam said slowly. Her voice was more subtle than he expected. There was no anger in her face, and she unfurled her arms and rested them on the table with her hands clasped together. "What is going on with you? I am really getting concerned, and you are beginning to creep others out. Please tell me what just happened?"

"What, I just offered..." Sam raising both hands off the table and clasped them together with both index fingers pointing at Robert gesturing for him to stop.

"Robbie, I have known you for a long time now. You are not acting normal at all. You are more quiet than normal. You phase out, and make all of these strange faces, and then when you come back you make some wild-ass revelation."

"What, I just have been a little tired lately. That's all." Robert decided to take the defensive approach in hopes of curbing the situation. "Just because I wanted to buy his daughter a birthday present? Is that acting crazy?"

"How do you know his daughter's name?" Robert gave her a funny look. "He has never said her name. It is always 'Princess'. Christ, I think he calls her Princess at home."

Robert desperately searched for a response. "Well, um."

"And what was all that crap about Snow White? When you said that, he nearly fell over. As a friend Robbie, I am really concerned."

Robert knew the time had come. Unfortunately, he didn't know what he could say without sounding like he belonged in a freak show. "Okay, well, sometimes I get a vision in my head like a dream. Well, as if it is more real than a dream. And because it is so real, it just spills out sometimes. That's all." He finished with a wave of his hand, and he turned away from her. He felt a little embarrassed.

Sam leaned towards him to try to establish eye contact again. "You saw Snow White?"

"No, Snow White is a horse he was, or is, going to bet money on this afternoon after work instead of going home to celebrate his daughter's birthday." All of the words came out too fast for him to stop. Deep down, he wanted to say them. He was fearful of the response he might get, but he needed to release some of this burden.

Sam was quiet for a moment. Then a confused look came over her. "So, you gave him more money to put down on the horse? Do you know if the horse wins?"

"That is not the reason I gave him the money. By giving him the money, I gave him a choice. I was hoping I brought the importance of his daughter's birthday closer to him by having his friends share in it."

"Well I hope so too, Robbie," Sam said with a smile.

Robert turned back to look at her. He was relieved he still had a friend.

"You know," Sam said with a disapproving look, "it's still really creepy," she said as she scrunched her cheeks and nose.

"Yea, well it's been creeping me out for weeks now. This now makes me more of a freak than ever." Robert slumped back in his chair and looked at the floor.

Sam got up and moved to a chair next to Robert. She could see how much this situation was hurting him. She sat down in the chair next to him, and took hold of one of his hands. "What do you say that we keep this to ourselves for now?" She said as she tried to get him to look at her.

"That would be great," he said forcing a smile.

"Good." she said with a pat on the hand. She got up, reached in her pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, and put it on the table in front of Robert. "That's my contribution. You'll need to have some money in your pocket for your ride home." Looking back she said, "Don't worry about collecting money from anybody else; I'll take care of that." She then turned and walked away.

Chapter 31

Sam's drive to the party at Glenn's estate was not what she had expected. Instead of being excited and happy, she found herself full of doubt and worry. Throughout the entire week, she bristled with excitement and anticipation. Her evenings out with Darla to assemble her outfit were some of the best times she has had in a long while. Even in the solemn of occasions when Sam was doubting what she was doing, Darla's unmistakable energy would breathe life into Sam's purpose. Darla's energy level was explosive and contagious.

Darla's eye for a classy but subtle look transformed Sam from the mundane office worker into a stunning socialite. The gown Darla had shown Sam was sleek and sexy. Sam fell in love with it instantly. It was a tight fitting gown with a plunging neckline. The dress showed ample cleavage that Sam had not known she had until Darla introduced her to the proper under garments. The gown fit up over both shoulders leaving plenty of neck exposed. It had mid length, tight fitting sleeves that came to the top of her elbows. Its back was open, and plunged down to just inches above the waist line. She felt it was a little too snug around the mid-section, but flowed nicely to just above her ankles leaving room to show the new four-inch heel shoes. Finally, the gown had a slit that ran up along the left leg that stopped about three inches above the knee.

She had never owned a dress as elegant as this, and throughout the week of fittings, she couldn't wait to walk through the door of Glenn's house to see his reaction. Now, after traveling alone in her car for the last hour without Darla's support, she wasn't so sure she could go through with the evening. Parading around in a dress like this wasn't her style. She knew the evening required a gown like this, but she began to think it was too much.

Throughout the entire week at work, the buzz of the party spread throughout the building, interrupted every meeting, and dominated every "water-cooler" conversation. It was like an exciting Easter Egg Hunt trying to find out who was invited and who was on the "Black List". The men complained about renting tuxedos, while the women gossiped about their gowns. Some made bets on whether certain people would make fools of themselves, while others speculated on how a co-worker's better half would look and act. Eventually, everyone knew who was going, and everyone knew Sam was going alone.

It was beginning to get dark, and the GPS in her car informed her she was 2 miles from her destination. The road winded up the side of the mountain, and some curves provided stunning views of the city below. Looking at the clock on the radio, she noticed she was twenty minutes late. She began to laugh to herself, when she realized that she was so engrossed in her thoughts that the radio had been off for the entire trip.

At the mansion, Preston kept a close eye on the guests making sure all were comfortable and were getting ample servings of the hors-devourers and cocktails. He also kept a close eye on Glenn. Though Glenn made the rounds talking to each guest, Preston could tell he was getting anxious. He mixed another martini and caught up to Glenn at one of the pairs of steps that lead to a balcony above the foyer.

Glenn nodded as he took the drink from Preston, and then proceeded to climb the steps. He then made his way back to his bedroom. He was only twenty minutes into his party, and yet he was already losing interest. For him, this party was just another bore. The only excitement he was looking forward to was having Sam at his side. She is not one known for being this late for anything at work, but there was hope in him that she might be fashionable late to social occasions. After a few strokes of the comb through his hair, he straightened his jacket and walked back towards the balcony.

He saw Preston standing at the rail of the balcony, speaking into the inconspicuous headset, directing the support staff. Glenn approached from behind, and put a firm grip on Preston's right shoulder.

"You've done an excellent job pulling this together Preston. Everyone looks comfortable and taken care of."

"Yes sir, the staff is doing a wonderful job. I notified the chef to push dinner back twenty minutes. I noticed your date is running late."

"Yes. This is unexpected and irritating," Glenn kept his back to the guest as he spoke to Preston. He was irritated, and did not want to let it show to the guest.

"Well, if it is any consolation, the parking attendants have informed me that it has begun to rain. So, perhaps the wet, winding roads have slowed her progress".

"Perhaps. Well, I guess I'll get back to trolling the crowd," Glenn said with a smile.

At that moment, Preston grabbed Glenn's arm. He was facing the front of the balcony that looked out through the arched glass over the main doors of the foyer. He could clearly see the headlights of a vehicle coming up the driveway. "Ah, all is good in the world," Preston said with a smile. "She is driving in as we speak." Glenn turned in time to catch the car as it turned towards the front door out of view of the windows.

A Parking Attendant opened the door for Sam with an umbrella sheltering her from the rain. "Miss, if you'll let me escort you to the door, we will take care in parking your car."

Sam was caught off guard, and wasn't quite sure what to do. She grabbed the Attendant's arm and allowed him to guide her from her car to the front door. The door was opened from inside by a female Attendant, and Sam stepped into a sizable breezeway with a closet to her left, and thankfully a mirror to her right. The Attendant nodded to her and then winked as she looked towards the mirror. "This is a good opportunity to do one more check before walking into the party," she said with a smile. Sam nodded back and did a quick once over.

The makeup looked good. Her hair was simple; it was straight as always, but the conditioner that Darla recommended made it look silky smooth. She looked back to the Attendant. "What do you think?" she asked as she scrunched her nose.

"Don't make any changes," the attendant said holding up her hands. "You look perfect." With a nod she said, "Enjoy the party."

She approached the door at the end of the breezeway, and then stopped as she put her hand on the knob. She could hear the sounds of people talking, and soft music playing, but began to second-guess herself as to whether to open the door.

"Is everything okay Miss?" came the subtle voice from the young Attendant.

Sam turned to look at her, "Yes fine." She paused and just stared at the Attendant. "Can I have your opinion about something?" The Attendant nodded reassuringly. "Am I over dressed for this occasion?"

"No. Not at all. Your fine." Her voice was genuine.

Sam looked at herself again in the mirror, gave herself a nod for confidence, and then opened the door.

Up on the balcony, Glenn had turned away from the foyer to give Preston a few more requests before walking down the steps, but Preston's right hand quickly pressed against his chest.

"Oh my Sir, she is stunning," he said in a low slow voice. Absentmindedly, his eyes scanned Sam examining every curve. The sleek dark dress reflected the lights and pronounced the curvature of her butt and breasts. As she pulled the door closed behind her, he could see tight fitting sleeves showed she had strong arms. The slit up the side of her dress and with the dipping neckline showed enough skin to tantalize him.

Glenn studied Preston's look, and then peered over his shoulder. He was also taken by her beauty. Quickly he returned his gaze to Preston, and patting him on the shoulder he said, "Preston, I'll take it from here. You focus on the party."

The noise was much louder than she had suspected. She entered the foyer and slowly pulled the door closed behind her. She stood still for a moment to allow herself to adjust to the noise and lights. She studied the room by glancing around starting to her right. She noticed a group of people was gathered in a room next to the foyer, and two couples were talking at the base of the steps to her right. The steps had a slight curve and led to a balcony in front of her, with another set of curved steps to her left. Beneath the balcony were three couples, the men were managers in the IT group; Walter, a heavy set black man in his sixties noticed her and gave her a wave. She shyly returned the wave and continued to look around.

She caught a glimpse of Glenn up on the balcony with his back to her as he patted a server on the shoulder. He then slowly started down the stairs to her left. Further to her left, she saw another group of people, some she knew, standing at the doorway to another room. She noticed that the noise in the room was getting lower. Looking back to her right, she caught all of the men staring at her and the women were visibly annoyed. Becoming self-conscious, she quickly looked away to her left to find the other women standing in the doorway were giving her the same look. To avoid the stares, she looked down at her purse and unclipped it to look inside as if searching for something. She felt herself getting flushed, and she knew she was just standing there awkwardly, but she didn't know where she could go. She couldn't believe she was actually hoping Glenn would come and save her.

"Hello Samantha," came the deep rumbling voice from Walter as he approached with his wife.

Relieved that someone had come to her rescue, she quickly responded. "Hi Walter." She couldn't help but smile too much.

"This is my wife Bernice. Bernice, this is Samantha".

Sam smiled and gave her a quick nod.

"Hello child," Bernice said. She was a little taller than Sam, and a bit on the heavy side. She wore a white sequence gown that complimented her size, and her hair was wrapped and pulled into a bun.

"Now, you look like you could use a drink." Bernice said with a smile. Sam nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep, thought so." Bernice said as she looked around at those who continued to stare in their direction. "Well, I am drinking white wine."

"That would be great." The relief could be heard in Sam's voice.

Bernice patted Walter's arm and said. "You heard the ladies, two white wines." Though she sounded demanding, Sam could see the jovial nature of Bernice.

"Yes Dear! Two wines coming up." As he turned to walk to the bar, Bernice caught his eye and pointed to under the balcony.

"We ladies are going to powder our noses," she said with a wink. Walter nodded as he walked away.

Bernice grabbed Sam's arm and started to lead her towards a hallway beneath the balcony when suddenly Glenn appeared to their left. Before he could say a word, Bernice took command of the situation.

"Hello again, Glenn. We girls are going to powder our noses. I'll have her back in a second."

"Sure no problem," he said with a smile. Looking at Sam, he said, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Walter is getting me a wine." Sam said quickly. Glenn nodded as he looked over to Walter walking to the bar.

Bernice pulled Sam close as she led her towards a bathroom that was under the balcony. "How about you call me Bernie, and I'll call you Sam?" Bernie said with a smile.

"That would be nice." Sam responded with a smile.

Chapter 32

Bernie opened the door to the bathroom, and allowed Sam to enter first. The room was surprisingly large with a vanity and a mirror on the opposite wall of the door, and a toilet a bit further back to their right.

"It's tough walking into hostile turf," Bernie said with a slight laugh.

"Boy, I'll say. I am feeling a little uncomfortable as it is. I am not used to wearing a dress like this."

"Really." Bernie said with some surprise. "Well you look fabulous. There's just a lot of envy in the house tonight. All the women want to impress their husband's Boss."

Sam just shook her head. Bernie began to pull a lipstick from her purse as Sam looked in the mirror.

"I like this gown a lot, but I feel so bland with my straight hair."

Bernie shrugged her shoulders while giving Sam an uncommitted look in the mirror. "I can help with that."

She pulled a velvet bag from her purse, and pulled out a strand of pearls. Sam's eyes widened as she saw the pearl glisten in the mirror.

"Wow! They're beautiful." Sam said.

"I couldn't decide whether to wear these or the necklace I have on, but then I thought it would be too much white." She had moved behind Sam to claps the necklace around Sam's neck.

"There. I think they fit you perfectly."

Sam just smiled not knowing what to say.

"Okay Sam, let's go let those jealous women eat their hearts out," Bernice said with a slight laugh.

Bernice opened the door, and Sam followed her out and into the foyer where Walter and Glenn where waiting.

Glenn smiled and held out his hand for Sam. Looking over to Bernice he said, "Is it okay for me to escort her now." His smile was genuine.

"Sure, but I'll be watching." Bernie replied jokingly as if she where an overly protective mother.

Walter handed Sam her drink, and Sam took Glenn's arm. Glenn escorted Sam around to meet with all of his guests. She knew most of the people who were invited, and felt a little more comfortable meeting their spouses. There were instances were they would come across people they had already met, and she had difficulty remembering some of the names of the new faces. Noticing her difficulty, Glenn would find a way to re-introduce them as they conversed. She was shocked at his ability to remember such detail.

"Dinner will be starting soon," he said to the group they were standing with. "Please find a seat at the table, any seat will do except the two in the middle. I prefer to be in the middle of all my guests."

Turning to Sam he said, "Let's hit the bar one more time before we sit. Another Chablis for you?"

Sam nodded. "How do you remember their name so quickly?"

Glenn smiled. "Like any other job, it is a skill that is acquired. Just like you can keep track of multiple tasks occurring throughout a day, it has been necessary for me to listen and remember even the smallest detail." He held her wine out to her, and then guided her into the dining room. "Do you like Lobster, Fillet Minion, Sea Bass, Chicken, or we even have Quail if you would like to try it."

"Wow, I couldn't say no to any of them!"

"Good then you'll try them all." He turned to address everyone while he stood at the entrance of the door. "Everyone." he held his glass of wine up as if to give a toast. "There's certainly enough different entrées to suit everyone's pallet. Please keep in mind that the portions are small to allow you to taste everything if you wish. If you have a preference, let your Server know and you'll be given a healthy portion. First, we'll start with some soups, then a salad of course, followed by as many entrées as you wish. But please leave room for the deserts!"

There were sounds of surprise and astonishment, and even some laughter. Glenn stood at the door accepting the appreciation, and then motioned for everyone to take a seat. Conversations began to pick up again as people talked with the person next to them, and even across the divide between the tables. The mood was certainly enjoyable and Glenn was soaking it all in.

Sam couldn't help but smile as she watched him. "Well, you are obviously having a good time," she said backing up a little to get a full view of his poise.

"Well I must admit, there was a moment there earlier this evening when I was in a terrible mood thinking I would be eating alone," he said as he lowered his head to give Sam a piercing gaze.

"Sorry I ran a little late..."

"Very uncharacteristic of you," he said with a smile. "Come let's get to our seats, I'm starving."

Sam was shocked at how well the evening was going. The food was delicious, the conversations were fun and lively, and Glenn was an absolute gentleman. She was particularly impressed with the staff attending to the guests. They move quietly behind the tables without much notice, and tended to the empty plates quickly. Sam had just finished some quail with an orange glaze on a small bed of rice when a young woman attendant appeared over her left shoulder.

"Here Miss, let me get that for you." as she remove the plate. "Would you like to try a little lobster? Believe me, it is to die for." All Sam could do was shake her head yes. "Good, I'll have the Chef prepare you a plate. It won't be but a few minutes." Then she quickly disappeared.

Sam sat back in her chair and watched the room. Though the staff move quickly and unnoticed, the pace of the guests at the table was slow. Everyone looked comfortable and relaxed and engaged in a conversation or two. Even Glenn was having a lively sports discussion with one of the Engineering Managers to his left. She had been to company Christmas parties that never came close to this level of harmony.

The lobster arrived a little later than expected, but true to form, it was worth waiting for. She forced a fifth bite, and then finally had to push the plate away from herself. Between the lobster, quail, and fillet minion', she had had enough. She took hold of her wine glass, and slumped back in her chair. Slowly, she sipped the glass dry and placed it back on the table.

"Have you had enough?" Glenn said looking over at her.

"Oh my God, it was so good! I need a break." Then she settled back into her chair again.

Glenn smiled at her, and then looked around the table. Noticing that nearly everyone had finished the main course, he rose from his seat tapping his glass. "Everyone. Please." He waited until the room was quiet. "Judging from the sweat pouring off this Serving Staff, I would venture to guess everyone has enjoyed their meal." Everyone responded with a round of applause.

"Great!" Glenn responded with a smile. "Well, there will be a short break as the staff prepares the desert carts, so please feel free to stretch your legs and refresh your drinks. But first, I would like to make a short statement."

"No statement you have ever made has ever been short." Hans said from the middle of the table at Glenn's left.

Glenn laughed along with everyone else as he shook his finger at Hans. "Then I'll have to live up to your expectations." Glenn's response was quick and drew a larger round of laughter.

"I throw these dinners on occasion to groups who move the company forward by surpassing expectations. All of you here are leaders of groups who will take the L4 project to the next level. Most of you have members of your team that will be at the Way Station next week preparing for their launch. This is an incredible achievement! Thank you all, and please give my thanks to your teams!"

Sam was taken by surprise by how loud the round of applause was. It also struck her how quickly everything was moving. She thought about Mike, and the thought of him leaving next Wednesday hit her hard.

Glenn raised his hands to quiet the room. "We are moving Raythian to a whole new level. L4 is not only the largest structure ever built, it is the only structure of this complexity built in the vacuum of space, and it will move through space at speeds faster than man has ever traveled before. These are exciting times for us. Raythian will be at the center of all new beginnings as we move the human race into a new era of the Space Age." Glenn raised his glass. "I salute all of you and all those who work with you for achieving this miracle."

Around the table, everyone raised their glass and together at once said, "Salute!"

"Salute," Glenn responded back. "Now let's stretch our legs to make room for coffee and dessert."

Sam stood up and straightened her gown.

"Do you like red wine?" Glenn asked her.

"Yes I do, but I don't need another glass. I have had enough."

"But this is a Cabernet Sauvignon from special grapes in Italy. Its ten-years old. You got to try it."

"Oh, no thanks. I do have a question that I need to ask you though." Sam had the one question that was on everybody's mind, and she had the opportunity to ask it. She moved close and said in a low voice, "Did Solarius really return from the Sun?"

Glenn just stared at her for a moment. He could not help but get lost in how beautiful Sam looked in this intimate moment. He then nodded his head slowly.

"Oh, my God, you have got to be kidding me," Sam said in a quiet whisper.

"Would you like to see its return?" Glenn's voice was low and confident. Sam nodded her head. "Come with me. I'll pull it up on my computer in the Study."

Chapter 33

Friday nights were the nights the Co-workers would get together at a local Pub down the street from work for a bite to eat and a few drinks. However, tonight Robert was regretting he had gone. He wanted to get home so he could dig into Sam's memories and get the list of people going on the test flight. He could see Mike wasn't in the mood either. Usually Mike would be flirting and buying drinks for some of the women, but tonight he sat quietly beside Robert often lost in thought.

"You seem to be a million miles away tonight," Robert said quietly after leaning towards Mike's ear. Mike just nodded his head. He did not want to fight the loud music.

"I'll tell you what, after we finish our drinks, would you mind giving me a lift to my apartment? It's just five minutes if you're driving."

Mike smiled and looked at Robert, "Fuck the drinks, let's get out of here".

They said their good byes, and made their way to Mike's car. The ride to Robert's was quiet. As they turned onto the street of Robert's apartment building, Robert couldn't help but be concerned for Mike. His demeanor was quite out of the ordinary, and Robert had a hunch as to what the problem was.

"A little nervous about the trip?" Robert asked as he looked over at Mike.

A smile came across Mike's face, and he reached over to lower the volume of the radio. "I am excited, but it's just a long time to be away."

"Don't worry. I'll miss you, but I'll still be your friend when you get back."

Mike laughed aloud and patted Robert on the shoulder. "No, I am not worried about losing you as a friend. Nah, you're stuck with me," he said tapering off into silence.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about losing Sam either." Robert was a little cautious touching this subject.

Mike looked at him. "I am not so much worried about losing her. I think it's a given. A girl like that won't stick around and wait for me." He pulled the car close to the curb across the street from Robert's apartment. "I am more worried about what's to be said tomorrow night".

"Well", Robert said reaching for the knob of the door, "if you show her you are worth sticking around for, I am sure she won't have a problem doing so. After all, she's waited this long for the right guy."

"Do you think I'm the right guy?" Mike asked sincerely.

"I think she feels you're the right guy. It's whether you think you're the right guy."

Robert got out of the car and waited for Mike to drive away. He ran across the street and made it to his apartment as quickly as he could. It was already eight thirty and he felt he had a long evening ahead of him. Locking the door and turning on his TV as he had done before, he made his way to his bedroom. Kicking off his shoes, he jumped onto his bed and made himself comfortable. Within seconds, he was in the Hall.

He was getting more comfortable in this environment. He took a moment to look around and take in how extraordinary the Hall was. The light streaks were all around him. Most of which were a shade of orange or red, but a few were yellow and green. He understood now that the streaks closest to him belonged to people near him. He felt disappointed, actually cheated, that he could not see his own streak or memories.

He rose above the streaks that surrounded him, and found he was looking out over thousands of streaks. All of which were very long, twisted and windy, and all had a fuzzy beginning. For the first time, he studied how the streaks twisted around and intersected with other streaks. Sometimes briefly or with a crisscross, other times they twirled around one another. In the far off distance, the separate strands were indistinguishable, and looked like a thousands of dimly lit light bulb filaments twisted together giving off an orange glow.

Luther and his daughter quickly popped into his thoughts, and he wondered whether he and his family were doing all right. He focused on visiting Luther, and then everything under him began to move. He quickly zoomed into an area where three red streaks were twisted about one another. Getting closer he saw the three images of Luther, his wife, and their daughter sitting together staring at something. Clearly, they were enjoying a TV show, or a movie together. Robert was quite happy that Luther was spending some quality time with his family, and felt a little pride knowing that he may have had something to do with it.

Nevertheless, it was time to get down to business. Focusing on Sam, things began to move again. He was a little scared tapping into a friend's thought like this. So, he wanted to make sure he only focused on what he needed to know. As he zoomed in, the number of steaks and the twisted mess that they made surprised Robert. There were a lot of reds and oranges, and a couple of yellows. The yellow streaks interested him. If he had time he would return to see who had attained that level, but for now, he needed to get down to business.

He was close enough to see an orange Sam with an interlocked arm with a red Glenn. He did not expect to see her this close to him, and he began to think about what he had said to Mike just a few minutes before. Perhaps she didn't have strong feelings for Mike. Perhaps she was playing the field looking for the right match. He stopped and looked at their frozen image while the memory streaks continued away. He was disappointed that he had read her feelings so poorly.

He turned to look down the past memory tail knowing he needed to search for the list. In doing so, he noticed that Sam and Glenn's streaks were as if two railroad tracks winding through a valley of lights. They weren't entwined or twisted together. It dawned on him that perhaps they were not as close as he had just thought. He suddenly realized how dangerous this place could be. He can interpret someone else's thoughts and memories quite differently. He needed to be careful not to judge too quickly.

He needed to move quickly along Sam's thoughts to travel back to the time he knew she had the list. He began to run along her path. Everything moved quickly as if he was in a projector screen with the video on fast reverse. Unlike the watching a video though, he also could sense the sounds, smells even some feelings. The sensations were too much. He began to get disoriented and felt sick and over whelmed. He stopped and had to step away from her stream of thoughts. There had to be a better way; he called out to Saria. He bent over, put his hands on his knees, and hoped she would come. Before he took his third deep breath, he felt her presence beside him.

"Are you okay?" Saria said putting her hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

He was surprised at just how sick he felt. He had to speak to her between breaths. "I am following Sam's thoughts back to when I know she had the list of names. There has got to be an easier way to find that point in her memory. Traversing her memories is making me sick."

"Yes, it will with the way you are doing it. You do not need to be in her memories to follow them. You can stay outside of the stream and still follow it." She stooped down to look at him.

"Do you feel sick?" she asked with curiosity in her voice. All Robert could do was shake his head yes. "That is how your mind is interpreting the overload of information. Your mind can only take in so much information at one time."

Feeling a little better, Robert slowly began to stand upright. "I know when she had the list. I just need to know how to get to that point in her memories."

"How long ago was it?" Saria asked.

"Just a few days." His annoyance could be heard in his voice. "It shouldn't be that difficult, should it? I mean everything is linear and time bound. So can't we just calculate it out or something?"

"No, it is not that easy. Though it is time bound, it is not exactly linear. Things like sleeping or day-dreaming will affect the record. Was she with anyone when she had the list?"

"Yes, me and Mike in our cubicle."

"Okay. It's too bad you don't have access to your memories, this would be easy. What we will do, is follow her memories to points were they intersect with other's memories. When this occurs, we'll take a peek at who she is with."

"Can't we just go back three nights? It was on Tuesday when she had the list."

"There is no real distinguishable way to know when it is night or when she is a sleep. There is no blank period. The memories pick up right where they left off before the sleep period."

Though Robert was a little annoyed by the inconvenience of the search limitations, he was feeling good enough to move along Sam's memories. Staying above the stream, he and Saria moved further into Sam's past. He decided to go a little ways before checking who crossed her path.

The search started moving more quickly now for Robert and Saria. They began to pick up patterns in Sam's memories. They could tell when lunches were occurring and when she was driving her car. They were able to narrow in on Tuesday, and they were currently watching the point when Sam swatted Mike with the papers.

"Well, those are the papers," Robert said to Saria.

"We have to find the point when she reviewed the names. When the pages are open, we'll be able to read the names."

Saria and Robert continued to trace Sam's memories further back. They noticed in the distance a large group of light streams.

"That must be the meeting she attended, where she got the papers." Robert began to get excited.

"Good," Saria said with relief. This exercise took much longer than necessary, but she needed Robert to understand the process. "Did you know that she had gotten the papers at a meeting?"

"Well, yea." Robert said as he turned and looked at Saria. "Oh, We've could have looked for the large group of streams."

Saria nodded her head. "You need to use your brain when you are in here. Sometimes you won't have the luxury of all this time. To search the Hall, you need to be a Detective. Using clues, looking for specific events. Searching along a stream just takes too much time."

Robert shook his head. "It is a shame we can't stop time in here."

"Time never stops. Anywhere. Nor for anyone. It is the one constant that is ever flowing."

"You mean the Spirit world is also constrained by time."

"Well, it depends on your perspective. To you, time is always creeping up on you because at some point, you'll run out of time and your body will die. To the spirit world, time is more like a marker, like a milepost along a road you're traveling. Let me change your perspective. Suppose I told you that, you only had one thousand breadths of air left to breathe. Would you forget about the time and focus on your breathing?"

Robert shook his head yes. "So, what is the limit in the Spirit world that all spirits race against?"

"To attain the level necessary to unite with the Great Parent before the rebirth occurs."

"When will the rebirth occur?" Robert was curious and had momentarily forgot about their search.

"Only the One knows when that will occur. We must continue to strive each and every moment hoping we'll have enough time to complete our work."

"I take it that you want to have attained the highest level possible?"

"Not necessarily the highest. If you are at the highest level, you are taking part in the union. However, those at lower levels will be judged. If the Spirit is worthy, then they will be part of the union. If not, they will be cleanses."

"Whoa, that doesn't sound good."

"It isn't. Let's find that list."

They followed Sam's memories into the meeting. Robert moved into her stream to synchronize with her memories. She was standing in the corner of the Conference Room looking at the list. Robert moved himself around her to look over her shoulder. She flipped the pages until she came to the list of names. Robert began to read them off so that he could try to commit them to memory. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to take any notes. He read the page with Mike's name, and waited for her to turn the page to get the rest of the names. Unfortunately, she closed the packet of papers and rolled it into a tube

"Shit!" Robert exclaimed. "I only have half the list. She didn't review the entire list."

Saria put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Let's follow this thread for a little bit. Maybe she looks at it after she meets with you and Mike. Worst case, you'll see where she puts the list so you might be able to get to it later."

"That's a good idea." Robert became encouraged with the thought of knowing where the list is kept.

Chapter 34

The Study was on the other side of the wall from the Dining area in which they had just eaten. To get to it, they had left the Dining area, walked through the living room and into the Foyer, under the balcony, then entered through a door to the right, just across from the Powder Room.

The Study was a large room, longer than the Living Room, and slightly wider. The wood paneling gave the room a dark mysterious feeling. The door they entered through was one of two doors on that wall. The other door was to her left at the far end of this wall. The wall of the room to her left was all glass from either windows or double doors that opened to a lit patio that was difficult to see because of the rain. At the head of the room was a wall of bookshelves with a large desk in front of them. Along the wall to her right were a mixture of chairs and small tables and a set of double doors at the end that led to the room they were just in. A thick carpet dampened the sounds and gave the room a warm feeling.

Glenn escorted her to the desk. She stood in front of the desk and looked around the room as he went behind and sat in the chair. He typed at the keyboard for a little bit, then stopped and looked up at her. He was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the low light. The curves of her body were highlighted from the lights behind her, and her hair had fallen perfectly to her shoulders. The way she stood, gave him a brief glimpse of her left thigh through the slit in her gown, but the desk hid the rest of her leg.

"How did you find out about this?" he asked her softly.

"Word gets around when it comes to something like this. Don't worry, I won't confirm the rumors." She had to smile knowing the position she was putting him in. "I understand how important this is to keep this under wraps. If this were to get out into the public, Raythian would be in a sticky position."

"Very good my dear." His voice was unusually smooth. "It is enlightening to see your grasp of the exposure this could have. Information like this could have a premature effect on our stock before we are ready to support the growth it will undoubtedly provide." He couldn't take his eye off her. Beautiful, intelligent, and now alone with him.

"Ah, here we go." He got up out of the chair, and moved it to the side out from behind the desk. "Here come around and take a look." He leaned the lid of the laptop back so that she would be able to look down at it. He moved out from behind the desk over to one of the bookshelves to pour two glasses of the wine he had told her about.

"What am I looking at?" She said.

"That video is from the NASA SOHO satellites that are positioned to observe the sun. You are watching a loop that is 30 seconds in length. The disk in the middle of the screen is a shield on the camera that is used to block the direct rays from the Sun. You'll notice a very large flair at the five o'clock position. That is where the vehicle is leaving the sun. At the very end of the longest tip of the flare you get a glimpse of a shiny spot."

He came up beside her and handed her the glass of wine. "Please try this. A third glass of wine won't kill you."

She took the glass and had a small sip. It was smooth, a little oaky with a touch of sweetness from some kind of fruit. There was a little kick at the end from the high alcohol content. She felt it warm her body and she couldn't help but look into Glenn's eyes as he studied her response.

"Um, this is very good." She was surprised how relaxed she felt. "Tell me, how do you know that that little tiny blip is the Solarius?"

"Well, we know when it came through because of its transmission. We then asked NASA to review its records for any unusual events." Glenn moved in close on her left side. He set his glass down on the desk, while he put his right arm across her back onto her right shoulder. Sam began to tense. With his left hand, Glenn performed some key strokes, and then another window appeared that took up a quarter of the screen. The image move along with the original image of the Sun's flair.

"We had NASA explode the view of that flare, and you'll see at the very end of the flare the Solarius craft."

She watched the screen intently. The new window was dark until the very end of the loop when the finger of the flare appeared in the window. Clearly, through the light given off by the flare, the Solarius craft could be seen.

"Oh my God. There it is!" Sam had to see it again. She bent over to get a better view.

As she bent over, Glenn got a better view of Sam's cleavage. Feeling his blood starting to boil, he looked down and saw that Sam's muscular thigh was in plain sight. Unable to control himself, he slowly and softly moved his left hand to the inside of her thigh under her gown while moving his right hand from her shoulder down her back around her side just blow her breast.

Sam froze in shock. She felt all of this happening, but it happened much quicker than she could respond. Slowing her world down, Sam placed the glass of wine on the desk. She then slowly turned towards Glenn so that she could put both of her hands against his chest. This forced his right arm from around her back to her side, and his left hand had to come out from beneath her gown. Unfortunately, he slid his left hand up the front of her body, across her stomach until it rested on her right hip.

"I don't want to go there Glenn." She was surprised how monotone and steady her voice was.

"I am sorry if I was too forward," Glenn said staring intently into her eyes. His hands had not moved from her sides.

"Well, it is time for some reverse. So please, let's just take our wines back to the party."

Glenn moved his right hand from her hip to her waist. "Sam, you are incredibly beautiful and I am very attracted to you." He focused on her eyes and spoke slowly and smoothly. It took all of his will not to glance down at her chest.

With a sudden thrust, he moved her so that she was pinned between him and the desk behind her. He move in closed and pressed himself against her. The feel of his hardness against her distracted her, so she wasn't prepared to ward off the passionate kiss that quickly followed. She pushed against his chest with both hands, but he responded by pulling her closer.

When she felt his tongue probing, she exploded with panic. Thrusting her arms forward, Glenn flew backwards into the shelves behind the desk. His surprise in her strength was clearly shown in his expression, and Sam took solace knowing that he now knew she was a force to be reckoned with. However, his expression quickly moved from surprise, through admiration, to a look of conquest as he began to regain his balance. She knew she could not allow him to put his hands on her again. She was too vulnerable with what she was wearing. Without hesitation, she kicked him in the groin with her right foot as hard as she could. She could tell the pointed toe of her shoe found the sweet spot.

A groan exploded from Glenn's lips, and he quickly slid to his left and fell onto his hands and knees. Without a second thought, Sam picked up her purse, and walked away from Glenn around the desk and headed to the door she had come in. As she rounded the desk, she could hear Glenn taking painful breadths of air. He was however able to get one word out. "Bitch!"

"Yea, well reverse would have been the better direction for you," she said coyly.

Without looking back, she continued towards the door she had come through. As she approached, it finally dawned on her that she had just kicked the President and CEO of her company in the groin. Her nerves became rattled as she put her hand to her mouth. She needed to hide. Fortunately, the door to the Powder Room that was across the hall was slightly ajar and the light in the room was off. She quickly left the Study and locked herself in the Power Room.

She went to the toilet and sat on the lid. Holding her head in her hands, she began to cry. Between the assault and kicking the CEO in his home full of co-workers, her nerves were shattered. She did not know what to do next.

Before Sam had left the room, Glenn had moved to his knees and leaned on the desk. Preston entered the room from the other door along the far wall. He moved quickly to get to the desk chair, as he began to bring it around for Glenn sit in, Glenn spoke again through clenched teeth.

"God damn it Preston. That girl is such a fucking Bitch!" He then gently moved himself into the desk chair.

"I saw the tail end of what happened," he lied. He had hidden himself in the doorway he had come through the entire time Sam was in the Study. "That Bitch will pay for what she had done."

"Oh, you bet she will. I am going to fuck her up real bad." Glenn spoke through clenched teeth with utter rage in his voice.

Preston stepped back away from Glenn, and stared at the door Sam had gone through. There wasn't much that could be done now with all the guest in the house. He just needed some time to think. Glenn had worked his way to his feet, and turn toward Preston. Putting his hand on Preston's shoulder, he was further emboldened by the anger in Preston's eyes.

"We won't do anything here. But it won't be long before we will have the opportunity."

Preston smiled. "Yes Sir," he said softly.

"Say, everything is under control here." Glenn patted Preston's shoulder as he gingerly walked around Preston. "Why don't you go ahead and finish preparing the after party for me and my close friends. I intend to have fun with that tonight. I want to make certain everything is in perfect working order."

"Yes, Sir. I'll leave now. Time is short. I'll be back to pick you and your friends up at one o'clock."

Glenn and Preston walked together towards the kitchen through the door Preston had entered through. To see his Boss and longtime friend humiliated by that Bitch made him furious. Preston stopped at a table in the Breakfast Room area that was currently being used as a preparation area for the deserts. Glenn continued into the next room, which had a back stairwell that led to a second floor hallway outside his bedroom. Passing by some of the Serving Staff, Glenn thanked some of them hoping to distract them from the limp in his walk.

Chapter 35

Sam's heart skipped a beat when she heard the soft tap on the door of the Powder Room. She was trapped, the very thought of Glenn being on the other side of that door made her whole body shake with fear. Frozen there, unable to move, unable to utter a sound, she sat staring at the doorknob holding her breath. Then she heard the second tap that was slightly louder than the first. A soft voice followed.

"Sam dear, is that you in there? Sam, its Bernie. Please let me in."

The feeling of relief was over whelming and Sam started to cry again. She leaped to her feet and made it to the door in one bound. Unlocking the door and turning the knob in one action, she found Bernie huddled close to the door jamb with a motherly look of concern on her face. Quickly Bernie entered the room, then closed and locked the door behind her.

"Oh my, Dear. What has happened to you?" Bernie cuddled Sam face in her hands and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. The large black woman exuded an air of calmness but her presence brought Sam solace and she felt her confidence return. "What could have possibly happened to upset you this much?"

Sam exhaled deeply to slow her breathing down, and then she cleared her throat. "Well, I just kicked the CEO of my company in the balls."

Bernie's jaw dropped as both her hands went to cover her mouth. Her eyes bulged slightly as she slightly bent over as if the same had just happened to her. "Oh my Lord, child, you got to be kidding me," came the muffled words through her hands.

Sam slightly shook her head. "Yep, a perfect clean shot. Took him to the floor."

Bernie removed her hands and clasped them over her chest. Softly she said, as if to keep others from hearing. "Why child? What happened?"

Struggling to maintain her composure, Sam spoke slowly. "Well, he pinned me against his desk, and had one of his hands up my gown." She had difficultly controlling her emotions. This time it was anger that made it difficult for her to talk.

"I told him to stop, but he pressed harder and forcibly kissed me." Sam was breathing hard again. She had to stop. She looked up at Bernie and saw her demeanor had changed completely. Bernie's stoic, confident look was replaced with the look an angry Mother on a mission to protect one of her own. "Why that Son-of-a-Bitch." Her eyes were on fire. "I kill that squirmy piece of shit". She turned towards the door and reached for the knob.

Quickly Sam grabbed her shoulders. "No, no, no. Bernie you can't!" Sam screamed in a quite yell as she pulled on the big woman's shoulders. "Please, you need to help me get out of here."

Bernie stopped then turned to look at her. She was calm again. There was deep compassion in her eyes while she looked at Sam. "Alright Dear. You're right. Tell me what you need me to do."

The stoic Bernie was back. "But once you are out that door, I'm gonna twist the little shit's body in half." There was a gleam in her eye and a slight smirk on her face.

Sam had to laugh. "Okay, you do that... after I'm gone. But first, I am going to freshen up. Then if you could get one of the Attendants to bring my car around, that will be great. I'll hide in the breezeway of the front door."

"Well, that will be easy. What car is yours?"

"It's a silver SUV. I was the last to arrive."

"That should be easy enough," Bernie said straightening her gown. She nodded then started to leave.

"Oh, wait." Sam said quickly. She undid the pearls from around her neck and handed them back to Bernie. "Thank you for these," she said with a warm smile.

"No problem Hun. You go ahead and freshen up. I'll have your car pulled around."

Preston had watched Glenn go up the back stairs. He was angry that Sam had humiliated Glenn, and he wanted to find a way to make her pay. Looking out the door, he could see the rain was continuing to pour down. He needed to find a way to have Sam drive off the twisting mountainous road. He knew Sam would not be sticking around, so he had to do something with either her brakes or steering. Searching the cupboard drawer next to the door, he found a screwdriver, a small flashlight, and a pocketknife.

As he left the house, his clothes were soaked quickly as he ran to where the guest's' cars were parked. Remembering the type of car Sam was driving, he quickly found it as the last in line furthest from the front door. Stooping down he crawled under the front bumper to get under the engine compartment. Turning the flashlight on, he followed one of the large power steering hoses to a point closest to his reach. Placing the flashlight in his mouth to keep light on the area of interest, he took the screwdriver and pressed it against the metal coupling until it bent in towards the rubber hose so that the sharp metal edge was against the rubber hose. He then pocketed the screwdriver, and took the penknife out of his pocket. Pulling the hose away from the sharp metal he had just created, he used the knife to pierce the rubber hose with the blade.

Satisfied with his work, he quickly got up from under the car. He stayed low as he trotted across the front of the cars along the bushes as he made it back to the garage area. Slipping into his car, he started the engine, and drove to the driveway entrance. Instead of turning left to head down the mountain, he turned right and headed up the road a short distance. From there, he could watch the entrance to the driveway for Sam's car.

Bernie left Sam to freshen her makeup, and exited the Powder Room. She turned left out of the door, and headed towards the back of the house. She knew there would be plenty of staff back there who could direct her to the proper person. As she entered the room just past the short hall, she saw a tall man in a black tuxedo standing next to a table with the deserts on it. The young man saw her coming and turned towards her.

"Is there something I could help you with Miss?"

"Yes. If you would be so kind as to point me to the correct person who could have a car brought around for me." Bernie smiled then looked around the room to take stock of what was going on.

"Yes, Miss. I can help you with that." He was pleasant in his response. "And, which car would be yours?"

"Oh, it is not my car. It is the car of Samantha Grey. She was the last to arrive tonight and sat with Glenn during dinner."

"Please inform Ms. Grey that her vehicle will be at the front door momentarily.

"You're a good man. Thank you Sir", Bernie said with a smile, then turned around and headed back down the hall she had come from.

Knowing that Preston had left a little earlier, the young man went over to the Chef to find whom he should contact.

Sam was putting on the final changes to her mascara when she heard the light tap at the door. She reached back, unlocked and opened the door. Bernie stuck her head in. "They are bringing your car around to the front door momentarily," she said with a reassuring wink.

"Great thanks." Sam's voice was much chipper. She felt more together after fixing her makeup. "Oh, please thank your husband for me. I had a great time with you two tonight."

"Oh your welcome," Bernie said with a shoo of the hand. "It was fun meeting you. And don't worry I'll have your back as you make your way to the door."

A warm smile came across Sam's face. She didn't need to say thank you again. Bernie gave her another wink then closed the door. Sam continued with some finishing touches, and within a few minutes had herself together well enough to get out the front door. She collected all of makeup and shoved it into her purse. Taking one last glance at herself in the mirror she sighed, then turned out the light and left the Powder Room.

Sam walked straight to the doors in the Foyer that led to the main door of the house. Fortunately, most of the guests were in either the Dining Area or the room to her right that she had never ventured into. There were a few guests in the Foyer, but they were talking amongst themselves and did not pay her any attention. Bernie was with her husband and another couple, and gave Sam a reassuring wink as their eyes met. Sam smiled back, but never broke her stride to reach the door.

When she reached her goal, she quickly opened the door and tried the slip out. Before she passed through the door, Salvador DeMento hailed her as he entered the Foyer from the Dining Area. Ignoring the call, she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She held onto the knob, praying he would not come through. Thankfully, she heard Bernie's voice on the other side greeting him with a hello followed by a discussion that she could not hear.

Quickly Sam passed through the breezeway and continued out the front door. She stood on a covered landing big enough to hold a few people. Around the bend of the driveway, she could see her car parked along the grass. Tempted to run to her car, she thought better of it. She did not know whether the keys would still be in the ignition. She also did not want to ruin her gown. She would need it tomorrow night on her date with Mike.

Growing anxious, she started to make her way to the steps when she saw a young man running along the cars. Relieved, she settled back against the door again and watched the man get in her car. The engine immediately came to life, and the man drove the car around the driveway circle and parked it at the foot of the steps. He got out of the car, opened an umbrella, then came and escorted Sam to the driver's seat.

She closed the door behind her, and breathed the largest sigh of relief she had ever had. She turned on her GPS, and set it for her home's address. Putting the car in gear, she cranked the radio's volume up, and began her drive home. She exited the long driveway without looking back at the house in her rearview mirror.

It had been several minutes after Sam left the driveway when a sleek back sports car drove past the driveway and followed Sam's SUV at a safe distance. Preston wanted to make sure she would not make it to work on Monday.

Chapter 36

Robert and Saria had found the portion of Sam's memories where she placed the rolled papers of the meeting minutes into the lower draw of her desk.

"Okay, good. Now I know where to look. It won't be easy getting to it, but I'll find a way," Robert said as he stood there staring at Sam's image seated in an invisible chair. He stepped into her image to get all of the sensations of the moment. He could also see the details of Sam's surroundings at the time as well as the packet of papers.

"You'll need to get to work quickly on this if you want to be of any value in stopping Leviathan. I must tell you, I will not be around much longer. The probability of Leviathan leaving this place is getting more likely every moment." Her voice was somber, and when Robert stepped away from Sam's memories to look at Saria he could see she was fidgeting and nervous.

"We're running out of time quickly now, aren't we."

"Yes, I am afraid so Robert. I am also saddened that you are in the thick of it, and that I might not be here to help you through it."

For the first time, Robert could see Saria's genuine concern for him. He felt bad she was so distraught over it. He did not know what to say to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'll find out who Leviathan is hiding in, and perhaps we can work together to stop etha."

"I will insist that I be left behind, but that may not be likely. If I do have to return to join my consortium, then I will be gone from this place and not be able to enter the Hall to converse with you."

"You mean, once you die you can't enter the Hall?"

"No, once I return to my consortium, I cannot come back. I will need to be invited back in through a rebirth, or a separation from spirit. If my soul is allowed to leave this body but not pass through the veil, I will be able to help you, and talk to you. But not be with you here like this. I will be like ether, all around you but not with you."

"Wait. Is that the state the Leviathan is in? Was it Leviathan who attacked me when I first entered the Hall?"

Well, it was either he or one in his consortium. Whoever it was had possession of Glenn at the time. When you were sensed, they focused on attacking you. You were lucky either you were viewed as weak because of your inexperience, or they were week. Otherwise you would have been severely harmed."

"Harmed? In what way?"

"Keep in mind, you were in the Hall. So, your body consciousness was vulnerable. They could have done damage to your body, or destroyed memories. There is a lot they could have done."

"Destroying memories, you called that dying the death last time," Robert interrupted.

"That is correct. Or, Leviathan is strong enough to strangle the energy of your soul cutting it off from its memories. From your description, that was probably what was occurring. What actually occurs in this instance is that your soul is again stripped of its memories, but they are acquired and gives Leviathan, more knowledge."

"Making Leviathan stronger." Robert interrupted again. "What happens to the soul?

"On this side of the veil, it becomes lost, disconnected. This was an unexpected byproduct of the veil. On the other side of the veil, the other part of the spirit becomes useless. Unable to help any consortium to gain knowledge. They are wonders. On both sides of the veil, the souls will wander about possibly causing problems, or possibly helping others. However, it is likely that on this side, the lost souls will eventually be recruited by Leviathan to do his bidding. With no knowledge of right or wrong, they are easily deceived."

"No doubt, this is what has been going on for centuries," Robert said shaking his head.

"Millennia," Saria said correcting Robert.

"Wow, he is one scary dude," Robert said forcing a smile.

"Not a he, but etha. Remember, the full soul of Leviathan is here on this world. This is why Leviathan is so powerful. You may come across one soul, but rest assure the other half is out there somewhere ready to come to its aid."

"But, both will come together for the trip through the veil."

"I am certain that Leviathan would prefer both to go through, but if only one goes through, it can then come and get the other. If both souls are together, then with the power that creature has attained, it will be very difficult to deal with once it is free. If it is able to get through the veil, it will be unleashed to visit other worlds and wreak havoc everywhere in the One's domain."

"Other worlds? There are other places like this? Other people?"

"Oh yes, more than can be counted. They desperately long to visit this world of yours. To study the Sons of Man. To learn your uniqueness, your beauty."

"But the veil keeps them out, unless they are invited."

"Well they can send probes through the portal, your sun. But no life form that can host a soul is permitted past the veil. If this were to occur, Leviathan would cling to that host and escape. It is for this reason that your world has been sheltered from others. But now that your generation is about to learn how the Sun is also a portal to other places, Leviathan will no doubt escape.

"Okay, that explains a lot. So..."

"We must get back to the matter at hand," Saria interrupted Robert. "There is no time for your curiosities."

"Right. Sorry." Robert was disappointed. Clearly, there lay a vast wealth of information before him, but it would be clearly outside of his reach. Soon Saria would be gone and he would be stuck, alone, on this side of the veil.

Chapter 37

There was a steady rain and the mountain road was not lit. Sam drove slowly around each curve. The steering wheel shuddered with each turn, and it felt as though the tires were losing their grip. She became more and more confused at the cars handling. She had slowed to less the twenty-five miles per hours, yet the wheels continued to shudder, or slipping with each turn. The roads began to get steeper, and the car began to pick up more speed.

The rain picked up, and it began to get more difficult to see. A sharp left came up on her unexpectedly, and the guardrail along the edge of the road seemed to jump at her right headlight. Quickly she yanked her steering wheel to the left to avoid the rail, but steering wheel resisted her move. She struggled with the steering fighting its resistance to move. She slammed on her brake, but the car responded with a skid that sent her careening towards the rail. She released the brake, and slowly the car responded but not quick enough to prevent the rail from grazing the bumper on the right quarter panel. Relieved that she avoided hitting the guardrail hard, she was slow to respond to the over-steering that now pointed her car across the road into a wall of rock.

Preston kept his distance to ensure his head lights would not be seen by Sam. Every so often, he would reach a point in the road where he could spy her car and see how it was performing. Disappointed that steering fluid had not drained from her car yet, he began to get worried that she would be free of the dangerous curves before her steering would fail. He approached another bend and pulled to side, close to the edge along the guardrail. He could see her driving about a mile ahead, as she rounded a curve. Her car came dangerously close to the edge, and he hoped to see it go over, but it swerved away from the rail, and was heading towards the rock wall. Again, another swerve and now it was heading again towards the rail. This would be it!

Using as much strength as she could muster, Sam pulled wheel hard to the right and this time she missed the wall by at least a car length. But again she over turned the wheel and now the car was heading straight for the edge of the cliff. Pumping the brake, and pulling the wheel left, the car slowed enough to respond to actions. The car veered to the left and bounced off the guardrail then came to a halt on the side of the road.

"Fuck!" Preston was furious. Pouring rain, slick winding roads, no steering, how could she not go over the edge? He remained there in the dark knowing that he must get involved. Soon other guests would be leaving and traveling past them. He needed to act now. He put the car in gear, turned on the lights, and headed towards Sam.

"What a miserable night this has been!" Sam beat the steering wheel with her hands. When the rage had past, she lowered her head to her hands that were clasped to the top of the steering wheel and began to cry. She hadn't noticed that a car had pull up behind her, and a man got out of the car. The tap on her window startled her, then a flashlight flicked on and shown in her eyes. "Thank God!" she exclaimed. The engine was still running, so she pushed the button to crack the window enough to allow them to speak, but closed enough to keep the rain out.

"Having a bit of a problem Miss?" came a male's voice with a bit of a British accent.

"Yes, yes I am. The steering is acting funny. I almost went over the cliff." Sam voice cracked a little. She was upset, crying, and the thought of having gone over the edge terrified her.

"Well, let's have a look at it. Turn off the engine, and pop the hood. Maybe your belts are wet," Preston said cheerfully.

He walked to the front of her car, and Sam unlocked the hood so it could be opened. Putting the flashlight in his mouth so that it shown on her window, he fished for the hood latch, but had difficulty because of his driving gloves. After a few seconds searching, he pulled the safety latch and raised the hood.

Once under cover of the hood he thought to himself aloud. "This fucking Bitch is a pain in my ass!" he hissed. I am getting soaking wet, and she can't even lower her fucking window. Bitch!"

He exhaled to calm his nerves. "It is probably best that Glenn didn't have a romp with her tonight. She's probably a horrible fuck!" He needed to find a way to get her out of the car so he could over power her. He could then position the car to make it look like she accidentally drove it off the road.

Then it dawned on him. "Yes, why send her over the cliff when she can be the highlight of our party tonight. Then I'll get rid of her and her car." He placed the flashlight down on the radiator, stooped down, and climbed over the guardrail. Stooping over, he made his way back to his car. Crossing back over the rail, he moved around the back of his car and settled into the driver's seat. He closed the door enough to turn the light off, but to leave the door ajar. He prepared a syringe of the sedative he used on Tiffanie, and waited for Sam to leave her car.

Sam had been watching the light from the flashlight move around, but now she couldn't sense anything was going on. The light hadn't moved for a while. She looked around the outside of her car, but the streaming water down the windows from the pouring rain made it difficult to see any movement. The motionless was unnerving.

"What is going on out there?" she said to herself. She wanted to get out, but the rain kept her in the car. She began to get anxious. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she needed to know what was going on. All her life, she had been in control of the situation, but now she felt like a muted, caged, helpless animal. "That's it, to hell with the gown. From now on I am buying an umbrella to keep in my car permanently." She cracked the door and ventured out slowly.

As soon as her back was toward him, Preston left his car and quickly walked up behind her. Sam was annoyed to find no one in front of her car. "What the hell!" she exclaimed. She moved to the front of the car to look into the engine compartment to see if anything had been done, or if she could see what was wrong.

"Sorry Miss," Preston said as he moved in behind her right side. "Just went to get some tools."

Startled by the sudden voice, Sam stood up straight and hit her head on the latch of the hood. "Ouch! You scared the shit out of me!" she said as she moved her left hand to her head.

"Whoa, watch it there Miss," as he put his left hand on the crown of her head where she hit it. He then, with a quick sweeping motion, stealthily inserted the syringe into the right side of her neck and injected the sedative.

"OUCH!" Sam said again and moved her right hand to her neck.

Putting the syringe between his teeth, Preston grabbed her right wrist, and held her tight around the waist with his other arm. Sam fought hard and Preston was genuinely surprised by her strength. Slowly though, Sam's strength began to wane as she felt the fogginess come over her. Bound tight by the grip of the man behind her, her world faded into blackness

Preston moved swiftly, and hoisted Sam over his shoulder. When he got to his car, he opened the passenger door, and let Sam fall onto the seat. He knew he needed to do something with Sam's car, but didn't know whether he had enough time. He drove his car about a quarter of a mile further down the road to where there was a pull-off just at the base of the grade. He pulled his car off the road along the back of the pull-off. Jumping out of his car, he ran back up the hill to Sam's car.

When he the reached her car, he closed the hood, and moved quickly to the driver's door. Opening the door, he heard the bell chime indicating the keys where in the ignition. Surveying the road behind, there were still no signs of any car headlights. Perhaps the guests are delaying their leave because of the foul weather, Preston thought to himself. Shrugging his shoulders, he started her car and cautiously drove the short distance to the pull-off.

It took quite a bit of negotiating to pull her car off the road, and tucked in close to the bushes. Satisfied the car was in a good spot, he turned off the car and took the keys from the ignition. He got out of the car and back into the rain. As he approached his car he was startled by the sounds of a car coming down the hill passing within ten feet of where he stood. Frozen, he watched as the car turned away from him and continued down the road.

"Whew," Preston said with a laugh. It was fortunate that the cars coming down the hill actually turned away from this pull-off, so Sam's car couldn't be seen from cars coming down off the hill. However, her car was in plain sight to cars coming up the other way. Though he was soaking wet, Preston was quite proud of what he accomplished, and eager to get to work preparing for the next party.

Chapter 38

"Before you leave here Saria, would mind coming with me back to where Sam's is at Glenn's house? I saw yellow streaks amongst the people at the party. Maybe they're possessions." Robert was doing everything he could to keep Saria around.

"Well, I can tell you now that they are genuine people. A possession is shown as a hue, or an aura around the figure." Saria picked-up on Robert's ploy. She understood his uncertainty and uneasiness that his position had put him in. Nevertheless, she needed to get back to Uriel and Reme to prepare for their trip back.

"Yea but still." Robert felt this was the last time he would see her. "Please?" he whined.

"Okay, but for only a few moments more." She put her hand on his shoulder, and Robert thought about Sam. The hall moved quickly about them, and it stopped were Sam's image was standing alone in an awkward pose with her head leaning back.

"This is strange," Robert said studying Sam. "This looks really strange."

"Clearly something is wrong," Saria agreed.

Both Saria and Robert moved into Sam's stream and examined the surroundings. They understood what she was feeling, and took in the surroundings. She was standing in front of her car, in the pouring rain, and she was feeling very groggy and sleepy.

"Why can't we see anything beyond this?" Robert said in a slight panic.

"Because, she has lost consciousness. None of her senses are recording anything." Saria said as she tried to focus on the surroundings to look for some clues.

"Damn!" Robert was agitated, and wanted to know what lead up to this point. "I am going back a little ways to see what happened.

"Let's go slowly." Saria said in agreement. Staying close, Saria walked along with Robert back through Sam's stream trying to determine what happened. All of the sounds and senses where being received by both Saria and Robert. As they passed a point where Sam hit her head on the car, Saria squeezed Robert's shoulder.

"Wait a second. Let's go through this moment slowly." Saria said to Robert.

"Why, I don't see anybody else." Robert looked around the area; he could only see some bushes and a wet road.

"Still," Saria said with some confidence, "I think we need to take a closer look." They moved forward and watched the events unfold in front of them. When Sam quickly straightened up, she said in an aggravated voice, "You scared the shit out of me".

"Who scared her?' Robert looked around feverishly.

"Leviathan," Saria said somberly.

"What! What do you mean! How do you know that?"

"Because, there is only one entity in this place that is powerful enough to hide it's Host's memories. Leviathan is the only one."

"Oh shit! What do I do? Where should we go?"

"There is nothing we can do, but hope Sam wakes up and her memories start again. We can then possibly find her based on where her memories begin again." Saria was genuinely concerned. She knew there was some probability that Sam might never awake again, but she also knew that Leviathan would be near her when she did.

"There must be something I could do." Robert became more frantic. He tried to move further into her memories, but Saria held him back.

"There is a more serious situation now." Saria was talking quietly and looking about. "Leviathan could be here, now. If so, we must leave this place and return to our bodies."

"No! We can't just leave now. There has to be some type of clue. Something to go on."

"Listen, we are exposed. We could lose all that we have gained. I am not willing to take that risk." Saria backed away from Robert and began to walk away.

"Where?" Robert spun around looking. "Where is he? There is no-one around here".

"Robert you can't see him. He is dead to this world. He does not have a body like you and I do. He operates at a different level than you or I. To remain here is stupid." She then left.

"No, to remain here is to find my friend!" he yelled as she vanished. "Damn-it. She wants me to find Leviathan, but she doesn't want be there when it happens. No doubt, I am just one of her pawns to be sacrificed." Frustrated, Robert spun around. "So be it."

Robert moved a little further back into Sam's memories, but could not find any one time where she saw the person's face or their car. He continued further back, but could not see anything. Frustrated, not knowing what else to do, he left the Hall. Alone in his bedroom, Robert sat in the dark. Occasionally, he would go back to the Hall to check on Sam, but always came to the same eerie spot where Sam lost consciousness.

Chapter 39.

Preston never felt this good. His adrenaline was flowing, things were moving along without a hitch, and for once he actually enjoyed cleaning up the entertainment for the evening. She wasn't dirty, scrawny, or ragged. Sam, was healthy and beautiful. Instead of bathing her, he took the time to look her over, thoroughly. He admired every muscle and every curve. He had taken his time removing her clothes, slowly revealing her skin, feeling its smooth warm texture. He had never enjoyed this more than at this very moment. He felt like he was out of his own body, detached, as if witnessing his own self performing his sacred ritual.

Having witnessed her strength, he decided to insert an IV while she was still unconscious. Once the IV was in and taped securely, he stood back and admired the view. So many women have had the pleasure of being on his special table, but none has looked like her. There was something enticing, something intoxicating, that he found it hard to control himself. He pushed a few buttons on the remote to angle the table downward so her feet were a few inches from the floor. With a few more pushes of some buttons, her arms were slightly raised and legs open; spread-eagle. His real, true, own work of art; a Da Vinci.

Running his hands up both her strong muscular legs brought him incredible pleasure knowing she was completely under his control. Examining the subtle ripples of her stomach, he couldn't help but nuzzle close to her and kiss her abdomen. What was it about this girl that drove him crazy, he did not know. He knew nothing about her, other than what he witnessed this evening. Even though she was naked, spread-eagle in front of him, the thought of her in the gown he had cut off her aroused him, and he had to press himself against her.

Reaching up to fondle her breasts, he felt like a young teenager again, and had a flashback to his youth in the town of Reading, England. The thought of stealing the "poke", and getting away with it dove him even more into a frenzy. He opened his eyes and found himself messaging her breast in a rhythmic movement that made him hard and he let out a long low groan. It rumbled through the emptiness of room sounding like a wild hungry animal.

Though she was dead to the world, he could feel the life of her body. As if on autopilot, he moved his left hand to fondle her, and he felt her body begin to respond. The groans from him came more frequently. He was out of control. His pants were down, and he was in her. He could feel her warmth, her wetness, but he felt as if he wasn't there at all. His body was running on its own, taking him on the fantastic lustful journey. He felt as though he was an on-looker, a spectator to the side.

He had never been this worked up, this frantic, this hard. Yet the energy kept building. Her body was rocking in rhythm with him, her head bobbed left and right. He then came with an explosion and he drove himself far inside her. He could hear the screaming and moaning echoing off the walls, but he did not realize it was him. Grabbing her hips hard he continued to trust himself into her, but the moment was fading. He realized he hadn't taken a breadth in a while, and opened his eyes.

Before him laid a lifeless and unconscious body, jerking back and forth as he moved in her. Her head just bobbed from one side to the other, lifeless. There was no sound from her. He stopped and her body went limp. Pulling himself out, he felt a wave of shame come over him. He backed away, stumbling with his pants down around his ankles. Embarrassed by his actions, he looked around in desperate need to convince himself no one witness his actions.

Staring at the mess he made of her in his frenzy, he realized he needed to get his mind back on track. He pulled his pants up and went to get some towels and warm water from the bar. "The bitch deserved it!" he said to himself. Soaking one of the towels under the faucet, he reviewed the events that occurred in Glenn's den. "She and her cheap shot. Well, back at ya bitch!"

His spirited pep talk brought some confidence back in his purpose. He walk back to Sam's limp body and cleaned up the mess he had made. Glenn and the boys expected a pristine untouched body when they arrived. Therefore, he spent some time making things look as perfect as possible.

After adjusting the table back to the flat position, he checked on her to make sure she would remain unconscious until he returned with the others. Checking her pulse and other vitals, she still seemed to be in a deep sleep. He gave her plenty of sedative earlier, and he did not want to risk over dosing her. Opening one of her eyes, he removed the black contact lens to check the dilation of the pupil. It responded normally, and he decided she would be fine for another hour. He put the contact back in, dimmed the lights, then left to get Glenn and the rest of the boys.

Chapter 40

Robert was getting sleepy. He had moved from his bed into the living room to watch TV, and bounced into the Hall on every commercial break throughout the evening. Nothing had changed with Sam. It was 11:00, and the late night news was coming on. He got up from the couch to stretch his legs, and then raised the volume on the TV slightly so he could hear it from the kitchen.

He did not spend much time in his apartment, so there wasn't much to choose from in the refrigerator. Listening to the opening stories, he poured himself a glass of orange juice. He returned to the couch and continued to watch the news. The talking head drone on about fires in the area and some cars with busted windows. Nothing was said about a missing woman, or a bad accident. It wasn't long before his head bobbed a few times, and he fell asleep.

Sam couldn't comprehend the dark quiet surroundings. Although she was a little groggy, she opened her eyes but still could not see anything. She tried to move her arms to uncover her face, but something was holding them down. She tried rolling over, but her legs were bound as well. Putting the pieces together, she began to wake up quickly.

She remembered the car, then hitting her head. She also remembered the pinch in her neck, then being held by that man. Realizing she had been abducted, she froze solid. She blinked her eyes again, but still could not see anything. She moved her head to its extremes, and search with her eyes, but still could not see anything. She felt her heart start racing. "Hello?" she screamed.

With all of her might, she pulled and pushed at the restraints that were holding body. Her calves were held tied tight to something as well as her forearms. She twisted her body in every possible manner causing her to nearly fall off the narrow bench that went from her head to the middle of her back. Exhausted, she laid still. Her body got cool from the sweat she generated. She then realized she was completely naked.

Her heavy breathing echoed all around her. "No!" she whined. "Please no." Tears started flowing down the sides of her face. "No, please let me go." Her wavering voice echoed off the walls around her. The room seamed large and empty, cold and deafening. She thought it might have been some kind of locker or something without any doors or windows. The total darkness was eerie.

Tears flowed down the sides of her face and onto back of her neck. Her eyes stung, so she continued to blink. That's when she felt the bumps against the inside of her eyelids. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but she could now feel contact lenses on her eyes. When she opened her eyelids wide then slowly closed them, she could definitely feel the ridge caused by the lenses.

"Oh shit," she thought to herself, this is why she couldn't see anything. There where lenses over her eyes that blocked the light. But then there are probably lights on, and she was lying naked, strapped to a table for whoever was there to see.

She started breathing heavy again. She knew someone was watching her. Studying her. She was defenseless, helpless, tied down like a wild animal. She moved her head around straining to hear the slightest glimpse of a noise. She swore she heard breathing.

"Let me go!" she screamed. There was no response. "Please let me go!" She screamed as loud as she could, but there was no response. She screamed a few more times hoping to get a response of some sort, but nothing came. The tears were flowing faster and her breathing became difficult. She continued to struggle against the restraints and screamed when she could. But with the lack of response to her screams and pleas, she began to get more and more paranoid to any subtle sound in the room.

Preston had made good time on his drive back to the house. He watched closely as he approached the bend where Sam's car had been abandoned. At this time of night, the rear lights glowed ominously against the bushes, but the car just seemed like it had been parked waiting for its owner to return. As he drove up the driveway to the house, he could see all the guest cars had left and all of the house lights were still on.

He parked the car close to the kitchen door, and then entered the house. The temporary wait staff was busy finishing the cleaning of the dishes, while the cook directed. Catching the Cook's eyes, Preston gave him a "thumbs up" as if to say "is everything under control?" The cook returned the gesture with a satisfying grin that put Preston at ease.

He continued through the house to Glenn's study were he found Glenn, Hans, Salvador, and Norris each holding a sniffer half full with what he supposed was brandy.

"Ah, the man we have been waiting for," Glenn said loudly as Preston enter the room.

"Yes Sir. Sorry I am late." Preston felt disheveled. He had changed into a different set of clothes back at the Game Room. Even though it was nice slacks and a jacket, he felt strange and out of place.

"Well, will there be some fun tonight?" Glenn said as he rose from his chair. He knew it was a silly question. Preston never disappointed him.

"Well Sir, you will certainly be able to pick up where you left off earlier." Preston had a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Uh, oh, no need to worry about the boys. I think they're hanging straight and steady now." Glenn couldn't help but laugh. The others laughed with him as Glenn had told them the entire series of events. Though the story was skewed a bit in his favor, he needed to start the story in the right direction so that when things unfolded at work, his subordinates would be on board.

"Well then, shall we be going," Salvador said as he rose from his chair.

Preston led the way as the four men followed him through the kitchen, then out the door to a large black SUV parked in front of the garage doors. The men settled in and Preston started the drive back to the Game Room.

Sam was sweating and exhausted. She had partially slid off the bench several times, and had to struggle to get back into a comfortable position. Through all of the wiggling and jostling, she discovered the IV line in her left arm. Several times, she tried to move her arm up into the restraint further to try to knock it out, but the restraints were located at her elbow and wrist. They were too tight and did not allow her arm to move up or down.

Exhausted she laid still. Listening to the sounds of the room, she heard familiar sounds, like a refrigerator and a gurgle from a drain, but nothing that sounded human. She was extremely thirsty. All of the yelling had made her throat dry and raspy, and she knew all of the sweating she was doing was dehydrating her. Tired and frustrated, she began to weep silently confidently knowing she was all alone.

A door slammed down the hall from Robert's apartment, and he was jolted awake. The news was over, and there was a show about Police Detectives playing on his TV. Looking at the clock display on the console, he saw that it was 12:17 in the morning. Jolting himself awake, he immediately went to the Hall and found Sam's memory streak had started to move again. Her orange form lay horizontal, and seamed to wiggle about. Confused, he stepped into her stream to try to get more information.

He was suddenly overwhelmed with panic and fear. He struggled to understand what was happening, but couldn't assemble what he was experiencing into any usable information. He caught up to her most recent memory, and touched the shoulder of her image. He was instantly casted into her moment, but found he was completely blind to the surroundings. She was struggling, crying, and calling out in desperation. He felt the full impact of her fear and humiliation. He knew she was strapped naked to something in a dark place, with silence all around her.

Robert began to panic. Sam was alone and in serious trouble, but was unable to do anything to help her. There was nothing, not even a sound to give him any idea where she was being held. Frustrated by the lack of information, he stepped away from Sam's moment, and back into her memory stream. She continued to lie on her back, and it looked as though her arms and legs were restrained. He needed more information. He stepped away from Sam's memories to look for Saria.

"Hello!" Sam yelled again. She felt someone near her. Someone was there. "Please let me go." Tears came instantly. "I know you are there," she said between sobs. Whoever it was, wasn't answering. She suddenly thought of Robert and then Michael. Fear and panic overcame her, and she began to cry uncontrollably. She continued to beg for her freedom between her sobs until she finally resolved herself to the cold, dark solitude. Unable to fight the exhaustion any longer, she closed her eyes and let the darkness over take her.

"Saria!" Robert called. "Saria, please help!" Robert waited for Saria to appear. Nothing was happening. He looked around to see if he could see her coming, but saw nothing. Looking back at Sam, he noticed her memories had stopped again. "No, no, no." He said as he moved towards her image. She had passed out again. Frustrated, he concentrated on Saria, hoping he would be taken to where she was at. But nothing happened. "Damn it!" he screamed in frustration.

Looking around, he noticed there was only one other orange image nearby, but still a good distance from Sam. Maybe, he could use it to find out where he was. Moving close to it, it seemed to be a person crouched in a sitting position holding another smaller red image. Walking up to them, Robert touched the orange image. He found himself standing next to a shabbily dressed little boy, sitting against the wall of a building, holding onto a small cat. The images around him were fuzzy and dark. He stepped around to take in all of information that he could.

There was a corridor of patchy images, memories of what the boy saw between himself and a chain link fence off in the distance. Obviously, the boy had come from that direction. It appeared the building was a good distance from the road, and surrounded by a chain linked fence. He walked down along the corridor of images to the fence. The boy had obviously slid under the fence were it bowed up slightly away from the parking lot. Robert looked down the street in either direction, but the image provided no more information. He didn't want to get any further from Sam, and it appeared the boy came from an alley across the street.

Frustrated, Robert went back to the boy. He needed the boy to get up, and go down the street to the corner to see if there was a street sign. But he didn't know how. Remembering that he could be seen as glimpses, he touched the boy to try and get his attention. Robert moved around in the boy's site to try and get his attention. Instead, the boy cowered, and grew scared. He buried his head further into his jacket, as if trying to hide from invisible monsters.

With one of his swatting passes, Robert went through the cat's image. The cat jumped out of the boy's lap, ran about 10 yards, and then turned to look at Robert. Stunned, Robert didn't move. Then he realized there might be an opportunity. He moved close to the cat, and it walked away from him, as if it saw where he was. Kneeling down, he summoned the cat toward him, but it just looked at him.

Having touched the cat, Robert now noticed that he was picking up what it was seeing and hearing. Getting up, Robert walked down the path were the boy had walked. A few more things could be seen, but not much. Staring at the road, he noticed more detail began to appear; a fire hydrant and some scattered trash in the road. He turned around to find the cat had followed him, and that the new images were the result of what the cat was now seeing. Slowly, Robert moved past the fence, and went towards the end of the street to his right. The cat just watched him as it slowly wagged its tail.

Robert just needed to see a little bit further. Bending over, he made noises with his mouth typically used to urge a cat on. The cat looked at him again, and then began to follow him. It easily move under the fence and headed down the road towards Robert. Robert turned and watched the images appear; hoping a road sign would appear at the intersection.

Robert couldn't help but be amazed as the images appeared. The cat's swagger, and head movements made images appear unexpectedly and erratically. Robert move towards the middle of the street. The cat followed. Moving quicker now, he could see a cross road coming into focus ahead. As he entered the cross road, he could see the road sign post to his right. The cat was close, so Robert moved to the post. As he did so, the sign for the road he had come down appeared, Dawson's Access. He moved to the side where the other road name would be and reached up to where it would be. In doing so, he rose off the ground. As the cat watched him, the name appeared on the sign, 2nd St.

Robert had the location. Now he needed to get here. Fast.

Chapter 41

The drive back to the Game Room went quickly. There weren't any cars on the road, and Preston felt like the black SUV glided through the night as if it were on auto-pilot. After leaving the house, he quickly drove down the twisting roads of the mountain, passing the spot where Sam's car had been abandoned without ever glancing back. That was the past. He knew the remainder of this night would forge the rest of his life. With his brains and Glenn's money, he would be unstoppable.

The expressway was wide open. Pushing the SUV well over 100 miles per hour, Preston felt it's every subtle move as it floated over the bumps and glided around the curves. The boys were enjoying the ride as well. Unaware of the speed, scenery past by their windows without notice as they shared small talk amongst themselves. Preston couldn't help but smile. If they only knew what he had prepared for them. He kept glancing back in the review mirror looking for an opportunity to stoke the fire, to entice them. But, no opportunity came. They were wrapped up in their own conversations.

The 2nd Street exit was approaching, so he slowed the SUV to 60 mph, and took the exst at twice the speed limit. Only a few blocks away, he began to get excited.

"Not too fast there Preston," Hans said jovially, "we don't want to miss our turn".

"No, we're good Sir." Preston said. He pumped the brakes slightly to make the left onto Second Street. Not yielding to the red light under the overpass, he turned right onto Dawson's Access. He had to jolt the SUV to the right to avoid an animal in the road. All of the passengers were thrown to the left side of the SUV. Both Salvador and Norris hit their heads against their windows as Glenn and Hans slid from their windows to the middle of their bench seats.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Preston!" Norris let out in a painful yell.

"Sorry, Sir. There was a cat or something in the road." Preston responded as he slowed the SUV considerably.

"Next time, run the fucking thing over, you damn idiot."

"Sorry Sir. My reflexes got the best of me". He brought the SUV slowly to a stop as he pushed the button of a remote on the visor that activated the electric gate. After the gate had opened, he pulled the SUV into the parking lot, and then closed the gate behind them. Driving up to an entrance that was on the side of the warehouse, he pressed another remote's button on the visor that opened a roll-up steel door large enough to drive a SUV through.

Once the steel door shut tight against the floor, lights went on all around them lighting up the interior of the warehouse. It looked like a normal warehouse with steel beams and girders, except for the large wood framed structure in the middle of the floor. Large enough to be a small house, it looked like a one story windowless house with a flat roof and no exterior walls. The studs of the walls could be seen with the drywall attached on the inside. Leaving the SUV, they made their way to a door in the wall of the structure just to the left of the SUV.

Jumping up from the couch, Robert turned off the TV and picked up his cell phone off the table by the door. Ignoring the time, he called Mike's cell phone. Three times the phone answered with the voice messaging system. Frustrated, Robert sat on the couch and jumped into the Hall. Searching on Mike, he quickly moved to Mike's memory stream and found Mike was lying motionless.

Touching Mike, Robert found himself in Mike's moment. It was dark and peaceful. Frustrated, he did not know what to do. He needed for Mike's subconscious mind to recognize he was there. Unlike the time when he saved Sam from the car, Mike was now asleep. But that didn't mean Mike's subconscious mind would not recognize he was there.

Taking a chance, he decided to try and contact Mike's subconscious mind. "Mike, its Robert. We need to talk."

The darkness around him began to contort and images of their workplace flared up, and then faded. He continued, "Seriously Mike, it is important."

As images of the work place continued to flare up and focus, he saw Mike sitting at his desk. Instead of working on his computer, he was actually working on the front left brakes of his car. The car was parked, hovering over his desk, with the front left wheel removed. "You and that damn car," Robert mumbled to himself.

Robert was sharing in Mike's dream, and it appeared he could influence its outcome. "Hey Robbie, could you hand me that wrench on my desk?" Mike was reaching for a tool that was just out of his reach.

"Yea, sure. Hey listen, we had a lot to drink tonight. What do you say we hit the head and get out of here?" As he said this, the long bar from the club they were at earlier appeared to his left with Sam pouring some beer from a tap.

Mike got up from his chair. "Yea, let's have one more drink before I fly off into the emptiness of space." With that things began to change again. The car, bar, and desks disappeared, and everything behind Mike turned dark with specs of white light that looked like stars.

Robert began to panic. This was starting to get out of hand. He had to find a way to wake Mike up. He needed to jolt him awake. "Mike, don't step backwards or you're going to fall into space."

With that, Mike started to act as if he were balancing on the edge of a cliff. Robert quickly responded, "Whoa there Bud, don't move your feet or you'll slip!"

"Help me Robert! I don't want to fall! Help!" Everything started to get erratic and shaky. "I'm slipping! I'm falling!"

Suddenly, Mike's bedroom appeared as Mike sat up in his bed with a jolt.

Robert jumped out of the Hall, and then quickly redialed Mike. Finally, on the second try, Mike answered his phone. "What in the hell are you calling me now for?" Mike's voice was groggy on the other end of the phone.

"Mike, wake up. It's an emergency. Sam is in a lot of trouble."

"What? How? What's going on?" Mike's voice quickly came into focus.

"Pick me up at my place. I'll explain on the way. We need to go down to the waterfront."

"Whoa, whoa! What is wrong with you? Are you dreaming?"

"I wish I were Mike. Hurry. I'll meet you out front of my apartment. Hurry!" With that, he hung up the phone. He hoped the urgency and abruptness of the call would put Mike into action.

Preston opened the door, and then stepped to the side to allow the others to enter the building. Setting the keys on the table by the door, he walked towards the double doors in the back of the room that led to the Game Room.

"Well Preston, my ole boy," Norris said putting an arm around Preston's shoulders, "is our entertainment ready for us tonight?"

"Yes Sir." Preston responded quickly looking at the eager guests. "But first, let me look in on her to make sure she is ready." He passed through the double door into the Game Room.

The closing of the door behind him, Preston jolted Sam awake. Clearly, she heard something. "Who's there?" she said as every muscle in her body got tense.

Her voice did not sound like her own. It was a raspy whiny voice that sounded off in the distance to her. "Please, let me go," the whiny voice continued.

She twisted her head in every direction, stretching every nerve to feel the slightest breeze or hear the slightest sound. She knew someone was there.

Preston slowly walked towards her taking in her beauty. He absorbed every detail, every line, and every curve. He knew she would never look the same after the boys had their way with her. So, he had to take in these moments to keep for himself. Slowly he approached her. Her pleas made her sound weak and feeble, but he knew better. She wasn't a used whore that expected to be taken advantage of. This one wouldn't go down without a fight.

As he passed the bar to his left, he slowly picked up the strap with the wad of cloth attached to it. He would use this to gag her. Quickly, she turned her head at him, and he could see those black orbs staring at him. He knew she could not see him, but eeriness of her look made his spine tingle. Aside from the black eyes, she remained as pretty as she was when she walked into Glenn's house that evening. Granted her hair was a little disheveled, and he was not as good at fixing her makeup as she was. Nevertheless, he was quite pleased at what he had done.

The table was tilted slightly, so her head was higher than her feet as she lay flat on the table. He approached her from her right side. Inches away he shut his eyes, and let her heavy breathing sing to him. Mesmerized by her sounds and smells, he knew this would be the last time he could be this close to her. Opening his eyes, he focused on her mouth, the curvature of her lips. They began to open. Inviting him to kiss her one last time. Before the inevitable plea that was perched on her lips could come out, he shoved the wad of cloth into her mouth.

Chapter 42

She heard something to her right. There was a slight scraping sound, and then some breathing. She dare not say anything. She knew it was pointless. She felt something close to her; she thought she heard a subtle sigh or an exhale. There was something there. Panic began to set in. Maybe one last convincing statement. Maybe the person there wasn't her abductor. As she took a breadth, without warning something was forced into her mouth. Her head was then pulled forward as something was slipped behind it. She slammed her head back against the table, and then violently shook it while trying to push what was in her mouth out with her tongue.

As her head violently twisted beneath his hands, Preston slowly, inserted the leather strap into the buckle, and then pulled it tight across her partially opened mouth. She began to gag and cough, and he took his hands and cradled her head between them.

"Shhhh. You need to relax my dear. I am sure you realize that struggling is pointless."

When Sam heard the man's voice, she froze. It was calm, and soothing. As it was earlier at her car. It was a trusting voice, maybe a forgiving voice. She began to cry again.

"There , there," he said as he wiped away some tears. "You need not be afraid. What will happen tonight is only natural. We will take good care of you."

Sam felt her entire body begin the shake uncontrollably. Naked and strapped to a weird table, she knew only the worst could happen to her. Her tears flowed, and she began to breathe harder causing her to choke on the cloth.

"Relax." Preston was completely amused. He let one of his hands flow over the top of her body past her beasts, over her stomach, then he began to message her. He loved the control, the power. Her trembling body convulsed uncontrollably under his fingertips.

"Now, you and I had some rehearsal time earlier. But unfortunately, you missed out on that rampage of pure ecstasy. You my dear are a great fuck when you're asleep. I am sure you take it to a whole new level while you're awake.

"No, this isn't happening." Sam screamed in her head. "Oh my God, he's touching me. God please make him stop!" Her muffled screams choked in her throat. Then his words settled in. Her fears of what she had felt were confirmed, she had already been raped. And she will be raped again! She began twisting turning as hard as she could. Fighting, willing his fingers out of her. She felt his lips on her breast, and tried to force it away from him the best she could. Then he was gone.

Preston had to steal a kiss from her nipple. He could see they were getting hard, so he had to egg them on. He walked over to the bar, and filled a syringe with 20ccs of his special cocktail. He then walked over to her left arm to insert the syringe into her IV.

Sam, felt him walking around now. Her anger had peaked. Her heart was pulsing so hard, she could see lights flashing in her darkness. "Sweetheart," he said to her as she felt him caress her left arm. "I am going to give you some of my special potion to calm your nerves while stoking your fires."

"What in the hell was he talking about?" she thought to herself. Then she remembered the IV in her arm. "Oh my God. He's going to drug me. Please God make him stop. Please!" How could her God that she loved so much, abandon her like this. How could something like this happen to a girl like her? "Why God?" a voice echoed in her head. "Why is this happening to me?"

Her thoughts only translated into confused muffed sounds as she felt a cold rushing sensation moving up her arm. "No, please no." the voice screamed in her head.

There was a warm rush that came over her. She began to feel disconnected from her body and her head felt lighter than air. She could feel him moving his hands around her body, squeezing her nipples and thrusting his fingers in her. In her mind, she tried fighting off what was happening to her, but her body craved the sensations. It needed the touch of his hand. Her hips moved with his rhythm. A low grown came from deep within her.

That wasn't her, was it? She tried to fight, to block the feelings, but her body was failing her. It wasn't responding to any of her commands. Instead it craved it even more. Then he stopped. But her body kept going. It had its own rhythm. It wanted more, but wasn't getting it. It needed to be touched, caressed.

The more she tried to block her body's cravings, the stronger it longed for the touch. In an effort to blocking the signals from her body, she focused on the emptiness in her head. Lighter than air she thought. She pretended to be on the beach her parents would take her when she was a little girl. She focused on the warmth of the imaginary sun, and could feel the cool breeze off the water.

After hanging up with Mike, Robert picked up his keys and left his apartment. Locking the door behind him, he headed to the basement to see what he could use to break into the building he saw while in the Hall. The Superintendent kept tools and equipment in the basement to handle odd jobs around the apartment building. Some were under lock and key, others would be left out, scattered around the basement.

He moved quickly down the steps until he reached the main floor. He stopped at the bottom of the steps to catch his breath, and to listen for any signs of movement. Satisfied that everyone was still sleeping, he quietly walked to the basement steps. The door creaked when it was opened, so he stopped once again to listen for any sounds. Still no sound from any of the apartments, he turned on the light of the basement and headed down the steps.

The basement was a menagerie of junk. Old furniture, clothes, broken washing machine and other large items were at the base of the steps. The boiler and hot water tanks were in the back, still in darkness. Along the far wall, he could see the workbench with a large vice mounted to its deck. Stepping over florescent lights, bags of clothes, even a set of golf clubs, he slowly made his way to the workbench. The cabinets on either side were both locked. He found menial items, like screwdrivers, a box wrench, and a hammer, but nothing that could be used to force a warehouse door open.

He began to move things, look under stuff, even on top of the cabinets, but could find anything like a pry bar. He could feel time slipping away from him. He knew he had to have been in the basement for at least 10 minutes searching through the junk. He expected his phone to ring any second.

Tired and disappointed, he slowly squatted down and sat on an old rolled up carpet. He continued to look around and saw a long shelf that ran under the workbench. It held small cabinets with drawers of screws and nuts. But under the shelf, on the floor was a crowbar. He grabbed it and raced to the top of the steps. He turned off the lights and shut the door. Quietly he walked to the front door.

As he went through the door, he could see Mike's car idling in the street at the base of his apartment steps. His phone began to ring. Ignoring the phone, he trotted down the steps and pulled open the passenger side door. Hopping in, he smiled at Mike as he shut the door.

"What the hell is going on," Mike said ignoring Robert's smile. "What is with the crowbar?"

"We might need it." Mike didn't move. "Will you please drive? We can talk on the way."

While staring at Robert, Mike put the car in gear, and sped away from the apartment building.

"Where is Sam, and what kind of trouble is she in?"

"We need to get to 2nd Street and Dawson's Access. Once we are there, we'll know whether she is really in trouble or not."

"She was at a dinner party tonight at Glenn's house. Why would she be down at the docks?"

"I don't know."

"How do you know any of this?" Mike was visibly upset. He blew two lights and jumped onto the expressway. The sports car was built for speed and maneuverability. It took the turns easily, and accelerated quickly. With no other cars on the road, Mike drove as if he was in the Monte Carlo Le' Mans.

Robert remained quiet. He really couldn't explain how he knew any of this. He began to get nervous. He didn't want to lie to his friend, nor did he feel he could confide in him either.

"Listen, if you don't start talking to me, I can just as easily spin this car around and take you home." Mike was screaming at Robert, and there was anger in his voice.

"No, no. You have got to trust me. I know that Sam is in trouble. We need to get to her. You got to believe me." Robert's voice was shaking. He remembered the fear and panic Sam was feeling. He knew their time was limited.

"What, did she call you? Have you two been talking? Why couldn't she call me?"

Robert had to think fast. This could be the opportunity to steer the conversation down a different path. He knew he had to tread lightly.

"Listen, Mike. It's no big deal. She knew we would need your help. Maybe she was too embarrassed to call you." Robert stumbled over the words as he formulated the lie on the fly. "Listen, let's just get down there and straighten this all out."

Robert wanted to check on Sam. As Mike accelerated through a bend in the highway, Robert settled into a comfortable position, and shut his eye

"I swear to God if you fall asleep on me now, I'll throw you out of this car without slowing down." Mike's voice was low and confident.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Robert said with frustration as he sat up in the seat.

Chapter 43

As her body continued to refuse her mental demands, Sam sank further into her dream world. Exhausted by the ordeal, Sam was actual grateful for the narcotic that was pumped into her vein. She smiled as she, remembered being with her mother and father during her childhood vacations at a house they would rent on a lake somewhere. She visualized the beach and heard the subtle sounds of the water. She could hear music in the distance, and then she felt the warmth of the sun. Remembering how the sun reflected off the water, she decided to sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in.

As a smile came across her face, Preston knew she was ready to entertain. He cleaned her up a little, and then positioned the headphone in her ears so that her hair covered the wires. He walked over to the door he had entered through, turned up the lights, and then opened the both double doors to let in the boys.

"Okay, Gentlemen. We are already in here", Preston said as he let the doors swing open into the room. He then walked over to the bar to pick up some clean robes that where draped across one of the stools, and then crossed the room to the couches to set them out.

Hans and Norris were first to enter the room. "Oh my word, this is going to be an interesting night. We don't often get a nice healthy one." The excitement was noticeable in his voice.

"She does look like a healthy one, Preston my good boy." Norris sounded pleased as well.

As Hans got closer for a better look, he stopped short and took a long draw on his cigar. Norris remained quiet as he moved closer for a better view. Glenn and Salvador entered together, but couldn't see much until they moved around Norris and Hans. Salvador stepped in between Norris and Hans. He continued to walk slowly up towards Sam's right side stopping just short of her out stretched arm. He mumbled something in Italian.

Glenn went around the other side of Hans, and was the last to gaze at the helpless girl strapped to the table. At first glance, he saw the resemblance to Sam, and then gave quick glance back to Preston who was smiling triumphantly. "Damn Preston, where did you find this one?"

"Well Sir, the opportunity presented itself, so I just went with it". Preston moved closer to get the full effect of Glenn's jubilation.

"She looks just like…", Glenn's mind began to focus through the self-induced alcohol numbness to take in the full extent of what was going on in the room. "Wait a minute." He slowly walked up to Sam's left side, his eyes focused on the IV line in her left arm. He quickly looked up and saw the stunned look on Salvador's face.

Feeling Glenn's stare, Salvador looked over at him. "I am sorry, but I will not be participating in tonight's...fun." He broke his glance with Glenn, turned, and quickly walked towards the door they had come through.

Feeling lightheaded, Glenn had to put his hand on her arm to steady himself. "Preston. Is this Samantha?"

"Why, yes it is Sir."

Glenn quickly turned towards him. "What?"

"Well, like I said, the opportunity presented itself. So, I grabbed the Bitch and brought her here." Preston's tone was confident and reassuring.

"Opportunity? Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck were you thinking?" Glenn sobered up quickly. Turning towards Preston, he clenched his fists and stared.

Preston took a half step backwards when he saw Glenn's response. "She sealed her fate when she disrespected you, Sir. This Bitch had it coming to her. We agreed..."

"We agreed to no such thing! I said I would take care of her at work!" Glenn was furious. He took another step towards Preston.

"I am sorry Sir. I may have misinterpreted what was said in your study." Preston had more to say, but went silent. He knew anything else he could say would only make matters worse.

"We are leaving", Glenn said curtly. "Close this place up Preston, and meet us in the car." Glenn's voice was low and even.

Preston nodded, and then watched as the three men left the room. He looked at Sam lying there peacefully. He walked up between her legs, and rubbed his hands on her thighs. Gazing down, he could not help but admire the smoothness of her skin. A fire started stirring in him again. He moved his hands up across her hips, up her body to her breasts. As he messaged them and took in their fullness, a smile came across his face. "See you in an hour my dear. Looks like it will be just you and me.

After pumping a little more sedative into Sam's arm, Preston turned and walked to the door. Leaving the lights on as he left, he pulled the locked doors shut behind him. There was no one waiting in the dining room, so Preston quickly moved through the room and out the door to the SUV.

The atmosphere in the SUV was tense, but Preston kept calm and relaxed as he maneuvered the SUV in the parking lot and pointed it towards the gate. Making sure the metal door closed tight against the ground, he slowly pulled onto the road and watched the gate shut behind them. He knew the ride home would be a quiet one. However, he also knew that Glenn would be a lot different in the morning. Pulling onto the expressway, Preston was too wrapped up in his thoughts on how to get rid of Sam's car to notice the red sports car racing towards the exit on the other side of the highway.

Mike maneuvered his car off the expressway without effort. The ramp was much shorter than Mike had anticipated forcing him to slam his foot onto the brake pedal. The anti-lock brake system of the car kicked in and overrode the pressure he was applying to the brakes. The car came to a smooth stop at a light at the base of the ramp.

"The GPS is signaling you to go left under the freeway, to get to Dawson's Access". Robert said eagerly.

"Yes, I can see that." Mike's voice was snip. He looked around noticing there were no other cars. Annoyed by the pointless stop, Mike jump on the gas ignoring the red signal. He took the turns quickly letting the tires of the car screech out the aggravation he was feeling. As they drove up the road, Robert sat up to study the scene he had witnessed just a half hour before. He tried to look past Mike at the building where he had seen the boy earlier.

"Stop here," Robert instructed Mike anxiously with a point of the finger to their left. Robert strained hard to see if the boy was still at the building. Unfortunately, little could be seen in the shadows.

"What the hell are you looking for?" Mike said annoyed.

"Stop the car", Robert said abruptly ignoring what Mike said. "She's in that building."

"What building? Are you crazy? This place has been abandoned for years." Mike was staring at the building as he brought the car to a stop in front of the gate. Robert got out of the car to check the gate. Noticing the gate was secure by a piston that actuated it, he was sure they could get through it. With a little bit of pressure along with forcing the latch with the crowbar, he was certain it would pop open enough for Mike and him to squeeze through the opening.

"If we apply pressure to the gate", Robert said as he walked back to the car, "I can pop the latch with the crowbar."

"No." Mike was staring at Robert. "I am not pushing anything with this car. Besides, this is now breaking and entering. I am getting on a plane in a few days, so I don't want to be spending any time in a jail cell."

With crowbar in hand, Robert walked back to the gate. "Come on. I'll pay for any damage to your car. Shit, I'll even buy you a new one." He turned to Mike. Pointing the crowbar at him, "You know I will. I got nothing better to do with my money. We're this close, and we are not leaving now."

After another five minutes of arguing, Mike had the back of the car up against the gate. With a little bit of pressure from the car, Robert pried with the crowbar to jimmy the gate's latch. Once the two were past the gate, they quickly ran to the building searching for a way in. Mike followed Robert around to the side of the building into the shadows.

"Hey kid!" Robert said loudly. "Yo Kid! Are you here?"

"Who in the hell are you talking to? What kid?" Mike looked around dumbfounded.

"Hey Kid", Robert said into empty space. "I got fifty bucks here if you help us." Robert said loudly as he wave the money he had taken from his pocket.

After a long pause, the response came from a low roof over top of a fenced in area a little further down along the building. "Help with what?" The voice was soft and matter of fact.

"We need to get into the building. Can you help us get in?"

Without acknowledging Robert's request, the boy climbed over the side of the roof then down the fence to the ground. He walked up to Robert, and plucked the money from his hand.

"Well, the kid is not stupid", Mike said with a smile. "Get the money first. Right?" He said to the kid with a wink.

"Follow me." The boy said without acknowledging Mike, and then turned away from them and headed back to the fence. Robert and Mike followed him up the fence, then onto the roof. The boy walked up the roof to where it met in a corner of the building.

Pointing into the darkness he said, "This window is unlocked. That's where I go when it's raining or cold."

"Wow, thanks kid," Mike said with astonishment.

"Be careful, it can be a long drop to the floor if you miss the ledge with your foot." The boy nodded as he spoke. "Thanks for the money!" He turned and started back towards where they had climbed up onto the roof.

Chapter 44

Robert was the first through the window. The ledge was easy to find with his foot. He reasoned that it must have appeared much further away to the small child. From the ledge, the floor was only a four-foot drop. Once safely on the floor, Robert took a moment to look around.

The warehouse was a large place, completely empty except for an unusual building in the middle. It looked like an inside out house. It was only one story tall, three times longer than wide. The wall he was looking at had no windows or doors, and there was an eerie silence causing him to hesitate. Mike's landing to the floor from the ledge made Robert jump.

"What in the hell is that?" Mike said, as he looked the structure over.

"I think it is some type of torture chamber," Robert said hesitantly. Remembering what he had felt while he was in Sam's space, the fear and the blackness, he suddenly found himself scared to find out what was inside.

"What, do you mean by that? What is it you are not telling me?" Mike took a step closer to the structure. Robert remained quiet, staring at the studded walls wondering about the horrors that could be inside.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone around. There's no cars or anything." Mike looked around as he spoke. "I am sure the way into that thing is around the side closest to that door," Mike said pointing to the roll up steel door. As they walked around the side of the structure, Mike took the crowbar from Robert's hand. "It's my turn to carry that," he said in a determined tone.

They rounded the corner. Robert slowed down cautiously, while Mike continued up to the door without breaking his stride. Looking back at Robert, he turned the doorknob and entered the fake house. Robert followed close behind him.

A strong cigar odor was first to hit both of them. The room was large, and decorated as a combination of formal Dining Room and sitting area. The wall to their left had a swing-door. Mike looked around, and then cautiously pushed the swing-door open to see what was inside.

"It's a kitchen," he said with a little surprise.

"What a strange place," Robert responded. "I wonder what is behind those double doors," he said pointing to the wall at the opposite end of the room. Mike moved down along the left side of the table, while Robert went down the right side. Both reached the doors at the same time. Without hesitation, Mike tuned the knob only to find it was locked. He looked back at Robert. Robert responded by pointing to the crowbar. With quick action, Mike jammed the crowbar into the seam of the doors. Using his shoulder and some prying action, the door he was leaning against sprung open. Mike stumbled into the room, and Robert followed him through.

Both stopped, shocked by what they saw. The room was dark except for ceiling lights in the center of the room. Below those lights lay Sam positioned liked the Da Vinci drawing, completely naked, strapped to the oddly shaped table. Neither said a word. Mike was the first to move. He quickly walked up Sam's left side to her outstretched arm. Confused, he studied her arm and the IV taped to it. A strap stretched across her mouth, and wrapped around the back of her head. Feeling around it, he found a buckle and undid the strap. Slowly he removed the strap, and a wad of cloth that was attached came out of her mouth. Her body remained lifeless.

He noticed wires were coming from her ears. He removed the small speakers from her ears, and spoke quietly to her. "Sam. Can you hear me?" No response came from her.

As he wiped her face, her cheeks and mouth moved slightly. "She's alive!" he said aloud. He cradled her face in his hands, and continued to speak softly to her. He messaged her cheeks and the sides of her face where the straps had left their mark. His emotions began to swell, and a knot began to form in his throat. To see her like this made him incredibly mad and overwhelmingly sad. It was all he could do to hold back the tear, and the anger swelling up in him.

Robert had walked up along the other side of her. Embarrassed for her nakedness, he look around for something to put on her. Behind him, on the bar, was a white robe. As he removed the robe from the bar, he noticed Sam's clothes and pocketbook were underneath it. He brought the robe back with him, and covered Sam's torso and legs.

Mike hadn't noticed what Robert was doing. Staring intently at her face, and speaking softly, he continued to try to get Sam to respond to him. Growing more agitated by the lack of response, he used his thumb to open Sam's right eye. A black glassy eye stared back at him. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed, and stood back away from her.

"What's the matter, what's up?" Robert became more focused on Sam's face.

"There's something wrong with her eyes. Somebody really fucked her up." His agitation began to grow as he clenched his fists and began looking around. He noticed the IV in her arm, and began removing the tape.

"Whoa, hold on. Don't touch anything yet." Robert reached out to Mike to stop him from doing anything further. "Let me see."

Robert pushed back her eyelid, and looked closely at the eye. He could see that it was a large lens placed over top of her eye. "That explains why I couldn't see anything," he said quietly. She was blinded by the opaque contact lenses.

"You couldn't see what?" Mike moved back in to look closer.

"I meant she couldn't see. There's some kind of contact lens on her eye." He backed away from Sam and stared at Mike. "She's going to need medical attention." He knew they needed to get her to a hospital, but how would they explain how they found her. He started to look around, trying to get ideas of what to do next.

"We need to get her to my car," Mike said as he watched Robert look around the room. "We need to get her out of here. Now!"

"And then what? What do we do once we are all crammed into your car? Go to the Hospital? What do we tell the Doctors when we carry her naked and drugged body through the doors?" Robert needed a moment. "Give me second to think."

"Think about what? How did you know to come here? It's time to come clean." Mike began to direct his anger towards Robert. "What are you involved in? Why are you afraid to call the police?"

Robert walked back to Sam's clothed, and found her phone in her purse. He dialed his phone number.

"I don't want the police involved for the same reasons you think I am involved. I wanted to help Sam, not go to jail." His phone began to ring. He answered his phone. After a few seconds, he disconnected the call and put her phone back in her purse

"Robert. What are you doing?" Mike's voice displayed his suspicion. "And how did you know she was here?"

"I am making it look like she called me." Robert knew this was the moment he would need to come clean with Mike. This was the time to know whether Mike would be supportive, or turn him away. "I saw her here, in trouble, while I was dreaming."

Mike took a step backwards and looked at him questionably.

"Earlier this evening, while you were asleep, you were dreaming about fixing the brakes on your car, and then I showed up. After I showed up, you were awakened because you thought you were falling off a cliff."

Mike stopped him by putting his hand up. "How do you know that?" Mike began to look confused and doubtful

"The same way I knew Sam needed help. Now we need to focus on Sam. Before we move her, I would like to know whether she is well enough to be move. If she dies on us while bringing her to the Hospital, then we'll really be up Shit's Creek."

Robert could see he was losing Mike, but he felt time was running short. He needed to involve Mike. "Listen, this will only take a minute. But if something where to happen, or if someone were to come, then you'll need to wake me up."

"Wait. What are you talking about? What are you going to do?" Mike was confused. He didn't understand what Robert was talking about.

"I don't know exactly. I can't really explain it." Robert took hold of Sam's hand. He closed his eyes and thought of the bright light, and felt the pop.

Mike could not move fast enough around the head of the table to catch Robert as he fell backwards to the floor. Moving quickly around the table to Robert, he could see Robert was out cold laying on the floor.

Chapter 45

Not a word had been spoken since they left the Game Room. Preston could feel Glenn's eyes burning a hole into the back of his head, but he dare not steal a glance in the rearview mirror. The thumping of the tires against the cracks in the pavement is all that could be heard. It was as if no one was breathing in the SUV.

"I am in no mood to go back to the house at this time," Glenn said as he stared out the window of the car door. His voice was angry. "Preston, take us to the Kingston Club."

The Kingston Club was an after hour Gentlemen's club. The clientele were the upper crust of society. There would be fun there for Glenn and his subordinates. They just could not be as destructive as they would have been in the Game Room.

"Yes Sir," Preston said sheepishly. "I can have you there in fifteen minutes."

"Excellent. Then I want you to fix what went wrong tonight. Clean up this mess. Pick us up at 6:00." Glenn's tone was even, business like. Preston knew then that Glenn was coming around to the fact that Sam would not be returning to work on Monday.

"Yes, Sir!" There was nothing more Preston could say. He would have about three and half hours to get rid of Sam and her car. There was a spot in the mountain road that he could push her car off, but he would need to get her in it first. He could get back to the Game Room within forty minutes then have the car over the side of the road before dawn.

Smiling, he knew things were sloppy right now. Therefore, he would take the time in the car to think about all that had to be done. Each of the steps, and all of their details would need to be reviewed and studied. There was enough time to accomplish what had to be done, but he needed to ensure he could prevent any errors and not waste any time.

Robert found himself on a beach staring at a large body of water. The view was splotchy, with pieces missing. Judging from his visit to Mike's dream, he was convinced he was in Sam's dream. Confused that he had not gone through the Hall, he reasoned that since he was holding Sam's hand, the direct contact must have brought him to this place.

He began to look around, and quickly found Sam sitting on the beach directly beside his left foot. He was a little behind her, so she had not noticed he was there. The scene around him had many pieces missing. He could see there was a path behind them, and to his right were a group of trees in the distance; about sixty yards down the beach. At the base of one of the trees was a small child. It looked like a girl, but he couldn't really tell.

He looked back to Sam again. Her position had not changed. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, and her chin rested on her knees. She wore blue genes, and a pink t-shirt. She had no shoes on, and continued to stare out into the waves.

"Hello Sam," he said as he squatted down to sit beside her.

"Hello Robbie." Her tone was casual. She was not surprised. In fact it was as if she had watched him walk up to her. Looking over at him, she asked, "Do you like to come to this beach too?"

He noticed she talked as if she were in a sleepy state. "Yea. I come here sometimes when I need to get away from things." He felt he had to be careful with what he said. He wasn't quite sure what he should say, but based on his experience in Mike's dream, things could change quickly here.

"Yea, me too. In fact, I think I'll stay here forever". She returned to resting her chin on her knees.

Robert took a moment to gather his thoughts. Psychology was not his thing. He was having difficulty determining her state of mind, but he needed to know if she were well enough to move. He needed to determine whether it would be better to have the ambulance come to her, or for him and Mike to take her to the Hospital.

"Listen, I can understand why you would want to stay in this beautiful place, but Mike and I would really miss you."

Sam lower her head so that her eyes were on her knees and her arms covered the sides of her face. Robert notice her head was shaking slightly. He could tell she was crying.

"Hey, hey. Sam, there's no need to cry. Mike and I are here to help you." He reached over and put his arm around her shoulder.

With a sudden thrust, Sam was immediately in a standing position. She then turned to face Robert. "Don't touch me!" She screamed.

The beach spun a little underneath them so that the water was directly behind Sam.

"Don't touch me!" She thrust her arms out to keep distance between he and her. "I don't want anybody touching me. I don't want to see you. I don't want to see Mike." She began crying uncontrollably. "I am all dirty now."

Robert stood up, but stepped backwards away from her. He saw that the skies had darkened and the calm, blue lake had change into a grey swirl that was forming into a whirlpool. Surprisingly though, there was no sound.

"What do you mean you are dirty? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes I did. I couldn't stop it!" She started to wipe invisible dirt from her arms. "I tried, I didn't want to be touched, but my body wouldn't listen." Her sobs were uncontrollable. She began rubbing her hands from her hips to her legs as if to wipe something off her. "Robbie, I tried. But this isn't me. It wouldn't listen."

Robert couldn't imagine the ordeal she must have gone through. Watching her go through this torment made him feel helpless, and he began to cry as well. With a low voice he said, "Sam, tell me who hurt you."

"I don't know," she struggled to say through tears. "Why would he do this to me?"

Suddenly she stopped and looked at her left arm. There was a small tube sticking out of it. "Get it out!" She suddenly went frantic.

"Get it out!" She began to shake and fell to her knees.

It looked as though she was trying to reach for the tube, but her right arm wouldn't bend all the way. Robert noticed the swirling waters were growing, getting closer to them. The beach was eroding away. He jumped up, and he moved towards her. Gently he took her left arm with his right hand, and grabbed the tube with his left hand.

"Pull it out!" Sam screamed at the top of her lungs. As he pulled it out, blood came out with it. But the blood was mixed with mud and both began to cover her arm. Suddenly Sam got quite. Fear came across her face as she watch the mixture work its way up to her shoulder

"Make it stop. Robbie! Make it stop. Please make it stop." Her voice became meek and scared.

Shocked, Robert didn't know what to do. He grabbed her arm and put his hand over her wound, but it wouldn't stop. The mud and blood mixture moved quickly to cover her body. Within seconds her body was completely covered, and the mixture was working its way up her neck. Robert looked into Sam's eyes. Tears flowed silently down her cheeks as her helpless eyes stared into his.

"Please make him stop," she said silently as she crumbled to her knees in front of him. The swirling water was now around his feet, and the water level was getting higher.

"A lot of good you have done tonight," came a smooth voice behind him. Robert spun around to find a middle-aged Asian man sitting on a park bench. He sat casually on the bench with his legs crossed. He wore black dress pants with a sharp crease, a blue knit shirt, and Top-Sider shoes with no socks. He had thin black hair, cut short, and dark sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Who are you?" Robert said as he moved to keep himself between the strange man and Sam.

"Why, I am a friend of Sam's of course. Why else would I be here." His motions were calm and controlling. Water began to slosh violently around them as its level continued to rise

"I am a good friend of hers too, and I have never seen you before." Though the man made no sudden movements, Robert had a very bad feeling about him. "You need to stay away from her. You better leave."

"Oh? Well, I don't think so. You see I have been watching. And, well, it seems you have done the most damage so far." He slowly gestured with his hand for Robert to look at Sam. The height of the water had risen so that it was up to Sam's torso as she knelt on her knees.

"Perhaps it is you who should leave." The man's voice was condescending.

Sam got up and began walking into the deep water.

"Wait!" Robert yelled in a panic. "Sam! Wait for me." He began to move towards Sam fighting his way through the torrent water, but the man had grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Please don't do anything further. You have made a mess of everything tonight. Please don't force Sam to venture any further into her darkness. She needs to be loved, not forced." His voice was low and demeaning, as if he was talking to a child who had done wrong.

Thought the strangers hand was on his shirt, Robert felt the coldness of his grip. A chill ran down his spine as he felt he had met this person once before.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Robert said as he spun around. "Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do for my friend." The man looked away from Robert, towards the small child under the tree. Robert watched as the man raised his hand to summon the child over to help Sam.

"Don't worry. We'll take it from here." The little girl made her way through the water to Sam who was now in water up to her waist. The girl grabbed her hand and pulled it back. Sam turned around to look at the child, as the girl washed the blood and mud from Sam's arm. Sam then joined her to help wash herself off. Sam then looked up and noticed the bonfire that was now burning behind both Robert and the man. Sam smiled and followed the child out of the water and sat with her by the fire.

"You see, if you do not know what you are doing, then you shouldn't get involved."

Robert became agitated and turned towards the man. But the man held his hand up to stop Robert from saying anything.

"You, Robert, are a screw-up. You will always be a screw-up. I refuse to allow you to get any further involved. We all know you'll just mess everything up. Hurt all of your friends. And then, what? Hanged yourself from a tree again because you can't deal with the choices you made?" The man then smiled, his teeth were bright white.

"Go away Robert," he said as he whisked the air with his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Robert became confused. His anger had peaked, and his body shook with frustration.

The man gave Robert a curious look. "What? Why, I am talking about you. You are so predictable and destructive. Sam and I have a special bond now." With another wave of the hand, he turned away from Robert and said, "Not to bother. Sam needs my comfort now."

Agitated, Robert ran up behind the man and pushed him from behind. Stumbling, the man regained his balance and spun around to look at Robert. Unafraid, Robert began to walk towards the man. In the blink of an eye, the man had appeared in front of Robert. His right hand had Robert's throat in its grip, and the man's left hand had Roberts right arm pinned behind Robert's back.

"We have been here before." The man's voice was steady and without effort. "I squashed you then, and I can squash you now."

Even though the man's grip around his neck was not choking him, Robert began to feel weak. Obviously, he had met this man before, but could not remember where or when. Still, he had a good idea that he was face to face with Leviathan. He moved closer, looking the man squarely in his eye.

"I am not afraid of you Leviathan." Robert said slowly. Leviathan's eyes widen slightly. "I don't know what interest you have in Sam, but I will not allow you to harm her." Grabbing the man's wrist of the hand that held his neck, Robert pushed it way as he spun out of the grip on him.

Ignoring Leviathan, Robert ran to Sam and knelt beside her and said, "Sam, are you okay?"

"I'm better," she said as she turned her head to look at Robert. In a low whisper she said, "Who's this?" She gestured with her eyes to the girl behind her.

"You don't know her?" he responded softly. Sam slowly shook her head with a quizzical look on her face. Robert looked behind Sam and the little girl was staring into his eyes. Her gaze was mean and aggressive. She looked as though she were about to jump over Sam and put her hands around Robert's neck. Shocked by what he saw, he gasped and looked back at Sam.

"What? What's the matter?" Sam said turning to look back at the girl. Robert looked as well and saw the girl had let out a tiny giggle as she smiled and grabbed Sam's hand. Sam giggled as well then looked back at Robert.

"I think we're okay for now," she said with a nod at Robert. "Thanks for visiting me."

Sam continued to watch Robert as he stood up. He could feel Leviathan was still there behind him. He turned to meet his gaze.

"What do you want with her?" Robert asked as he slowly approached Leviathan.

Leviathan just smiled at Robert, then vanished.

He looked back at Sam and gave her a smile. When he looked over at the little girl, she again was giving him an angry stare.

"I'll be talking to you soon Sam." Then with a nod, he said goodbye and thought of the golden white light.

Chapter 46

His drive back to the Game Room was not taking as long as he had expected. It was early Saturday morning and the roads were completely empty. He was glad to get Glenn and the others out of the car. Their condescending talk and looks were beginning to annoy him. He had plenty of time to think about what to do, and where to stash the car. First, he needed to get back to get the girl.

Alone in the car, he had plenty of time to reminisce about having Sam earlier that evening. Time was on his side, so he looked forward to having her again. This time though, he would need to wake her up so that he could feel the fire in her. Allowing himself a half an hour with her, he would still have plenty of time to clean her up and prepare her for her ride down the mountainside. Getting back on the expressway, he knew he was only ten minutes out.

After the popping sensation, Robert awoke to find he had a splitting headache. Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling of the room, and Sam's arm strapped to the armrest of the table sticking out over top of him. He recalled standing next to her when he went to the Hall, and surmised he must have fallen to the floor. "Got to remember never to do that again," he said quietly to himself as he rubbed the back of his head.

Getting up, he looked around to find Mike was not in the room. "Mike!" he yelled out. "Mike! Where are you?" He listened for sounds, and then finally heard footsteps coming from the dining area of the structure. In a matter of moments, Mike walked through the door with a glass in his hand.

"Are you okay Robert? I mean, you just passed out and landed flat on your back.

"Yea, I am fine," he said as he rubbed his head.

"Here's some water. I was going to throw it on your face to wake you up, but since you're awake you can have it if you want." Mike had continued walking into the room and approached Robert.

"Listen," Robert said waving off the water. "Sam is not in good shape. She has been heavily sedated, and I think she's been raped."

"Whoa. Are you back to all of that dream stuff?"

"Listen, I think she is okay to move. Let's just get her into your car, and we'll drop her off at the Hospital."

"That's what I said a few minutes ago."

"I know I'm sorry," Robert said quickly. "Why don't you start undoing the straps, and I'll get the contact lenses off her eyes."

"Good. Then we'll get her out of here."

Robert struggled with the contacts, while Mike unfastened the straps that were binding her arms and legs on his side of the table. Once the contacts were out, Robert moved on to the straps on his side.

"What do we say when we get her to the Hospital?" Mike said as he watched Robert undo the straps.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll stick with her calling me while she was trying to escape her abductor."

As soon as Robert was done, Mike grabbed Sam and pulled her up over his shoulder. He fixed the robe so that he covered Sam's bare back. "Let's go," he said with a huff.

They moved quickly through the dining area and out the door. Robert found the control to the steel rollup door to the right of the door. He pushed the green button, and they exiting the warehouse. It was a seventy-yard sprint to the gate, and Robert easily passed Mike mid-way. When he reached the gate, he pulled it back with all his might to create enough space for Mike to squeeze through. He then met Mike on the passenger side of the car. Mike used the button on his keys to unlock the doors.

"Quick, get in," he said to Robert.

No sooner did Robert get in the car, that he found Sam being squeezed in on top of him.

"Damn, watch her head," he yelled at Mike. Without a word, Mike slammed the car door, and then ran around the front of the car to get into the driver's side. With a single movement, as if rehearsed a thousand times, Mike was in the driver's seat, keys in the ignition, engine on and door slamming shut.

"Ready to go?" he said as he tried to find the gear shift under Sam."

"Just go." Robert screamed back in a panic.

Mike quickly let out the clutch. With a loud chirp, the tires of the car gripped the driveway's entrance. Turning right onto Dawson Access, the road was clear, so Mike used the entire width of the road as he sped away. Mike accelerated quickly when he saw he had the green light, and he sped across 2nd Ave. onto the ramp of the expressway.

Preston exited the freeway and was under the overpass when he saw the red sports car race past the intersection onto the ramp to the expressway. Turning right onto Dawson's Access, he reached for the control to open the gate to the warehouse. As he pulled into the driveway, he could see the steel rollup door was open.

Panic set in as he pulled the car up to the entrance. He reached over to the glove box, and pulled out the nine millimeter he kept there. Exiting the car, he quietly entered the warehouse, cautiously looking around, listening for any sound. The door of the makeshift house was open slightly, so he entered slowly.

No one was in the dining area, so he continued straight back through the open doors of the Game Room. He let out an angry growl when he saw the Sam was no longer on the table.

"Fuck!" he screamed. Pacing around, he looked for any clue as to what might have happened. It wasn't clear whether anyone was here to help Sam, then he remembered the red Corvette.

"That's where she is," he said. "Now I need to find out who owns that fucking car."

Preston evaluated just how complicated his life had gotten. He knew the building had been compromised, but wasn't sure how much time he had left. He also knew Sam didn't see or hear anything while in the Game Room, but she knew her abductor had a British accent. This was a lose end.

He would have to deal with his accent once he knew better of Sam's condition. Now though, he would need to get rid of the building. He entered the kitchen and turned on the gas to each of the five burners on the stove. He then went back into the Dining Area and grabbed the candles off the Dining Table. Placing the candles on the bar in the Game Room, he lit them and then exited the makeshift house. Exiting the warehouse quickly, he got into his car, and drove out of the parking lot onto Dawson's Access.

It took several minutes for the explosion to occur. His car shook as the windows of the building blew out. After several minutes, he could see the flames inside the building. Their intensity grew as the open gas lines fueled the burning of the wood structure inside the steel paneled building. Surprisingly, the roof of the warehouse fell in quickly allowing more air into the building for the fake house to burn. The flames were intense, and the smoke began to get thick. Several smaller explosions occurred, and Preston assumed the liquor and wine cabinets were engulfed in flames as well. He spent a few more minutes watching the building burn and fall in upon itself. He began to hear sirens in the distance, and decided it was time to go. All of his plans have changed, so now he would need to take some time to construct a new plan.

Chapter 47

Preston's mind was running faster than he could drive his car. The trip back to the mountain felt like it only took a couple of minutes. Throughout the entire drive, he played different scenarios and options in his head. He knew he had to operate on the assumption that Sam was still alive. Therefore, perhaps it would be better to leave the car where it was. After all, she would remember not making it all of the way down the mountain. Although he knew he had left her car and the area around it clean of any trace of him, he still wanted to check it out to be sure.

The bigger problem for Preston was Glenn. If Sam had any inkling of Glenn's involvement, then he was in a terrible situation. He played the scene in the Game Room in his head repeatedly trying to see if there were any strings she could tie to Glenn. She was blinded the entire time, so she never saw him or anyone else. She was also well drugged, and could not hear anything because of the headphones. Therefore, he felt confident that Glenn could not be connected.

He knew she had never met him. He had not been at the corporate headquarters since she arrived. He was also away from the guest during the party, so she never heard him at the house. However, the police would be visiting the house and interviewing the staff. His accent would put him at the top of the Suspect List. Somehow, he would need to put doubt in the minds of the Police. Before moving the England, he spent his youth in Scotland. He could therefore use that dialect to disguise his voice some. Unfortunately, it was certain that Glenn would have to play some role in minimizing his time with the Police.

Rounding the bend in the curve of the road, a taillight from Sam's car reflected his headlight. He was now confident that allowing the Police to find the car would be the best thing to do. She would inform them that the car was not drivable, and that she had just left the party. Therefore, it was possible that someone pulled over to help her with the intent to harm her. This certainly was feasible. Since he had left the party before she had, he could attest to not seeing anything suspicious on the ride down the mountain. He would explain his departure by going back to his flat to retrieve some foreign cigars he had purchased for some visiting guests.

Pulling to the side of the road a short distance from Sam's car, he was careful not to drive onto the soft gravel. The last thing he needed was to leave tire tracks at the seen. He retrieved a flashlight from behind the passenger seat, and a rag he kept between the seat and the console. The rain had stopped several hours earlier, but he was still concerned about leaving footprints. So he first went to a bush nearby and pulled off a branch. He then spent the next 10 minutes going over Sam's car thoroughly wiping down anything he could have possibly touched, and wiping away his footprints with the branch.

With Sam on his lap, Robert could feel Sam's mood, and that she was still placid. However, he felt very uneasy. There something near him that made him uncomfortable. He could not identify exactly what it was, but he knew something wasn't right. Putting his head back against the seat, he ventured back to visit Sam. Since there was direct contact, he hoped would meet her back in her dream.

Sam was now on a small boat with the little girl. They swayed back and forth with the rocking of the boat. No doubt, Mike's driving was causing Sam's dream world to shake. The little girl sat beside Sam on the wooden plank that spanned the width of the small boat at its middle. He found himself sitting on the transom of the boat looking at their backs.

"It would be best for you to leave them alone." Leviathan's voice was smooth and controlled again.

Robert turned to look at him. He was sitting on the transom as well, on the other side of the outboard motor.

"Fuck you!" Robert said aloud as he stared at Leviathan. "What, is she one of your little cronies who has come to possess Sam?"

"Not exactly. She does not need to possess Samantha. She'll have a body of her own." He smiled at Robert as though Robert was a helpless child.

"Oh, shit." Robert looked forward to find the little girls staring back at him with a frown on her face.

"Sam's pregnant." Robert whispered to himself.

"Yes." Leviathan said with a slur as he leaned on the motor to get closer Robert. "Yes she is indeed. During my last possession, I got close to Samantha. I helped her through the ordeal. She and I are quite close now. We share a special bond." He toyed with Robert.

Robert, filled with rage, turned towards Leviathan and grabbed the collar and shoulder of his shirt. He pulled at it hard, but Leviathan just smiled at him. Robert realized the waste in his efforts, and let go of the shirt.

"There is nothing you can do to me here. In fact, I won't even do anything to you. I feel sorry for you Robert. Truly, I do. You are nothing but a tool. A tool to be used and then discarded. I truly do feel sorry for you."

A feeling of defeat came over Robert. He did not know what he could do, if he could do anything at all. He settled back and stared at the back of Sam's head.

"Why have you done this to her?" A feeling of sadness swept over him as he thought of his friend.

"The opportunity presented itself, and I could not resist. It was only natural."

"Natural! You raped her! You acted against her free will."

"Not exactly," Leviathan said holding up a finger. Then he moved his hands and thrust his hips as if he was screwing a girl, "let's just say I was along for the ride." Leviathan looked over at Robert and gave him a wink.

Robert was filled with distain. "You are vile and evil. It is easy for you to twist the truth."

"Truth? What is truth? You say that I am evil, but yet I have done no evil. It is easy for your generation to blame me for the evil in this world, when you yourselves possess the very evil you accuse me of." Leviathan's tone was powerful and commanding. "I do not force anyone to commit evil. It is upon their own free will in which they commit those things." Then his voice softened, "I am merely a bystander at times who may jump in to experience such feelings merely for the entertainment of it."

Leviathan stretched out his arms. "Welcome to Hell Robert! Your world is the hell your derelict generation so desperately fears. This IS your hell. Nurtured by the greed, atrocities, and vile filth imagined and created by the blessed and revered Generation. I am trapped here to wallow in this menagerie of defecation longing for the time I can regain the freedom that was stolen from me.

He looked down his nose at Robert. "Be careful with your judgment if you know not what you speak."

"You are the Father of evil. The Light said so. I will believe the Light before giving an ounce of doubt to you." Robert turned to find the little girls staring at him again. He held up his middle finger and split at her. The little girl smiled and turned away.

Robert's actions had no impact on Leviathan, he continued on. "It is because I had different thoughts it was said that I am evil. I was deceived, then left here and thought to," Leviathan's voice softened as he wiggled his fingers in the air in front of himself, "wither away." But anger in the voice returned. "Instead, I have not withered away, but have had to exist amongst the very evil and vile nature of your blessed Generation." The sound of distaste reeked from his voice.

"What different thought?" Robert said spinning around to look at Leviathan.

"My thought is one of oneness. To grow closer to the Great Parent. To join in unity. The thought of the One you follow is that of recklessness, to grow away from the Great Parent. That of continual expansion away from the Great Parent. I would choose to collapse upon Him in glory and rejoice. While the One you favor continues to expand away from the One."

"Yea, well there is a reason you lost the battle. If your way was the right way, the Great Parent would not have allowed you to be trapped."

"You are the picture of the ignorance of your generation." Leviathan's voice was harsh and filled with distain. "For the Great Parent to interfere would have been a gross negligence against free will. Have you learned nothing! It is said that your generation is smarter, but your continued display of ignorance is overwhelming!"

For the first time, Robert feared Leviathan. The anger in his voice struck a chord in Robert. He did not know whether it was because he feared Leviathan was speaking the truth, or whether he was being lured into believing a lie. Robert tried hard to hide his fear and doubt. He knew these weaknesses would only further embolden Leviathan.

"Do you really want me to believe that God loves you as much as the others?" Robert's voice was cocky and condescending.

"Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?" Leviathan said quietly and with exasperation. "I am from Him just as you are from Him. From One came All, and All shall return to the One."

Robert turned away from Leviathan and stared at the patchy view of the lake.

To listen any further would continue to raise doubt within himself. He could not allow this show of weakness in front of Leviathan. Then he heard Leviathan speak closely behind him.

"I won't let any harm come to her. She deserves the chance to fulfill her destiny."

The uneasiness he felt began to subside. He knew Leviathan had left them. He also knew there was nothing else he could do for Sam, so he decided to leave her dream as well. Opening his eyes, he saw they had arrived at the Hospital, and Mike was pulling up to the Emergency entrance.

Chapter 48

Robert and Mike sat in the ER Waiting Room with a few other disheveled people; all of whom sat in anticipation of some news about the person they had accompanied to the ER. It was a stark, white, square room with a light green asbestos tile floor. Two opposing corners of the room had tables with months old magazines strewn about them. The TV hung from the ceiling in a corner above one of the tables. Its speaker had an annoying buzz that fluctuated along with the voice of the News Caster as she pretended to be happy delivering the early morning news.

When they arrived at the Hospital, the Triage Nurse instructed Mike to lay her on a gurney. She then instructed another nurse to wheel her off through the secured double doors, while she stayed behind to get some information from Mike and Robert. She collected basic information that both Robert and Mike could provide, but failed to get any details of what had happened. Robert had explained he had received a panicked phone call from Sam, then he quickly called Mike to accompany him to pick her up.

Since their arrival, a couple of hours have passed and no one had come out to speak with them. In light of their surroundings, neither felt the need to discuss what had happened that night. They both sat there in silence knowing that neither would leave without knowing Sam's status.

Everyone in the waiting room jumped when the electronic lock on the double doors buzzed and a young Doctor in green scrubs and a white lab coat came through the door.

"Who brought in the young woman, um?" He searched through the papers on the clipboard that was in his hand. "That's right, Samantha."

Robert and Mike got up together and approached the doctor.

"We did." Robert said as the doctor made eye contact with Robert.

"First, let me say that she is still not conscious, but stable. We have done all that we are able to do until either she wakes up, or a family member comes."

"Okay," Mike said slowly. "Her family is not in this state, and we do not know how to contact them. Can we see her?"

"Well, I am sorry, but we can only allow family members back in the ER. Especially on nights as busy as this."

"What can you tell us?" Mike said eager to find out any information.

"Well, like I said, she is stable. We did a full toxic screen on her blood and found traces of some narcotics. Other than the bruises and marks around each extremity, her body has been bathed clean. We will have to wait until she is awake to get an approval to do a rape analysis. We can't find any trace of foul play other than the narcotics and the marks around her arms and legs. Are you certain there isn't anything else you can tell us? Or if this wasn't self-induced?"

Mike got agitated and took a deep breath. Robert put his hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Doc. We found her strapped to a table with the IV line in her arm. I don't think it was self-induced." Robert's voice was patient

"Okay." The Doctor looked down and put the clipboard under his arm. "We'll just have to wait until she wakes up. In the meantime, some Officers will be bringing in a gunshot victim in the next couple of minutes. Sit tight and I'll send one out to get your information." Without waiting for a response, the Doctor swiped his pass card to unlock the door, and then pulled the door closed behind him as he left.

Staring at the door, Mike said. "We're leaving."

"I am not comfortable not waiting for her to wake up. We shouldn't just leave her."

"We will come back in a few hours. Hopefully, she'll be in a room where we can visit her. As long as she is in the ER, we won't be able to see her. Besides, I am not talking to any Police right now. This whole night has been too creepy." Mike started to walk to the door. "They know we were here. They'll let her know. I just don't want to be here when the Police arrive. You can stay if you want."

With that Mike had gone through the door. Robert hesitated for a second, then decided to follow Mike to his car.

Preston had only waited a few minutes outside the entrance to the nightclub after arriving promptly at 6:00 AM. All four men exited the club at the same time with Salvador in the lead, and Glenn bringing up the rear. Each of the men took the seat they had had earlier in the evening, and settled in without a sound. Without a word, Preston drove away from the club and headed towards the house.

"What is the status of our situation?" Glenn said in a business-like tone.

Preston decided to treat the situation like a business event. "The situation has worsened. The girl had been removed from the warehouse before I returned."

"What!" Norris screamed. "Oh my word."

Salvador put his right hand over his eyes and mumbled something in Italian. Hans turned and stared out the window next to him. Glenn seemed unphased by the comment or the commotion in the SUV.

Norris continued, "Is there any possibility that she knows it was us? You didn't clean the place down when we left. There could be evidence we were there! Jesus, what the fuck are we going to do?"

"Norris! Shut up and sit back!" Glenn had lost his patience with the antics in the SUV.

Before Glenn could get another word out, Preston continued. "The girl was blind to her surroundings, and had earphones on playing music. She also had a dose of my cocktail coursing through her veins. I strongly doubt she knew anyone was in the room when you entered."

It was quiet in the SUV, the road noise seemed loud and obtrusive. Since nothing was said, Preston continued. "Though she is gone, she did not return to her car. I wiped that down thoroughly. Also, I torched the warehouse." Preston was looking in the rearview mirror at Glenn. Glenn nodded with a blank expression. Preston could not tell whether Glenn approved or disapproved by the nod.

Again, there was quiet, so Preston cautiously continued further. He knew Glenn expected all of the facts. So, he delivered them slowly. "I watched the warehouse burn for about 15 minutes. The gas line I had opened fed the fire creating an intense heat. With the wooden structure, the liquor and other combustibles, the fire had gotten so hot the steal roof had collapsed within the first five minutes."

"Drive past the site." Glenn said as he stared out his window.

"I had already intended to do so. It will be coming up on our right in three miles."

"Not too fast, I want to see it." Glenn's voice was calm. "What else did you see?" Glenn knew Preston was holding back.

"Nothing else. Except before turning from the underpass, a red sports car drove from the direction of the warehouse onto the ramp of the freeway."

Glenn perked up and looked at Preston through the rearview mirror. "A red sports car? Was it a Corvette?"

"Yes. The latest model." Preston felt the nerves in his stomach jitter.

"Fuck!" Glenn sat back in his seat. "Mike Rossini owns a car like that."

The car got quiet again. Ahead on the right, thick smoke could be seen blowing out over the expressway against the early morning sky. Preston moved to the right lane, and slowed the speed of the SUV. The highway had a high vantage point, so they could get a good look at the fire. A lot of fire equipment was on the scene. Though the fire had been burning for a couple of hours, flames continued to lick the skies above the structure. Clearly, the Fire Department was merely trying to contain the fire rather than waste the effort to extinguish it.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the SUV as they passed the fire. Norris was the first to speak. "It appears there is a good chance that nothing can be gathered from that ash heap."

"Let's hope," Glenn said. He continued the gaze out the window at the morning sky as he spoke clearly to Preston. "Preston, you will need to pack your clothes and gear, and prepare yourself to be at the Way Station on Wednesday. You will be going to L4."

Preston did not say a word. He knew better than to be confrontational with Glenn in the present company.

Glenn continued, "If they are able to trace the ownership of that building back to you, then I want you as far away as possible."

"Yes sir." Preston answered submissively. The gravity of the situation had finally settled in on Preston. He knew that in Glenn's eyes, he was expendable. If the investigation began to get close, either Preston would be offered up as the escape goat, or at worst, the sacrificial lamb.

Hoping to show he still had value, he thought he'd try to be useful one more time. "Should we make that move without knowing whether Mike is involved?"

"Regardless, we must put this in motion. Both you and he will be on the same flight to L4. So whether he knows or not, or even if he suspects, you will need to stick close to him and react accordingly."

"Understood," Preston, said softly.

 **COMDENATION**

Chapter 49

Darla didn't know what she could do for her friend. Over the past couple of weeks, she got bits and pieces of the horror story Sam had lived through. Sam had become quiet and withdrawn to her, but made the effort in front of others like she was getting passed it. As she consoled Sam, she saw her move from desperation and sadness, through depression and frustration, to all out anger. Sam had now become angry and suspicious at everyone around her, and Darla felt included in that list.

Indirectly through conversations they had had, she believed Sam held her accountable for the start of events that evening. It was she who had convinced Sam over dress for the party and to cause someone to stalk her. Even though an ongoing investigation with the police has only identified possible suspects, there were no real clear links to anyone. Through Mike and Robert, the Police knew the event occurred in an old burned down warehouse near the river, but no clear evidence has been recovered from the charred remains. And though the damage to her car looked accidental, the police were convinced the part that failed was manipulated.

Sam was convinced it was someone from work. Not necessarily, any of the guests from the party, but someone who was there, or knew she was at the party. Darla could see Sam tormenting herself with the fear that whoever raped her was there watching her every move. Waiting to strike again. Darla tried to convince her to let it go, but it was no use.

Sam's demeanor had changed completely. The once spunky and lively person, who jumped from group to group checking in on people and the project they worked on, had now become a withdrawn, distracted, and disheveled mess. Sam did enough to make herself presentable for work, but Darla could see the confident outgoing girl was gone.

The change in Sam affected everyone around her. Even now at lunch, both Sam and Darla sat alone at one of the small tables. There was plenty of noise and commotion going on around them, but everyone kept their distance from Sam. She had made it clear that was how she wanted it. Everyone knew something bad had happened. It took her well over a week to return to work. Only a few knew sketchy specifics, but only Darla knew exactly how she felt.

Darla watched Sam twirl her spoon in the cup of yogurt she had not yet eaten from. Knowing the creep was still out there, possibly lurking amongst them, made Darla flush with anger as well. Sam seems to be able to shut off her emotions, but Darla couldn't. The more she thought about it, the more the tears swelled up in her eyes. As Sam looked up from her daze, she caught the first tear trickle over Darla's eyelid and meander down her left cheek.

Embarrassed from being caught off guard at the show of weakness, Darla turned the cheek away from Sam as she wiped it away with her shirt sleeve.

"Would you please stop worrying about me?" Sam's voice was low with a hint of exasperation."

I am not worrying about you. I am just frustrated we don't know who the pervert is."

"What good would it do, the damage is done." Sam stabbed her yogurt with the spoon.

"Good? I am not looking for good. I am looking for justice. Shit, I would string the asshole up and slowly castrate him over a three hour period." Darla's voice was emphatic, but she kept it to a whisper.

Sam laughed a little. It was genuine, and Darla reveled in hearing it since it had not been heard since the night of the party.

"Yea, and then make him eat it." Sam responded with wide eyes.

"Eww that's gross!" Darla said with a smile.

"What? Let him have a taste of it." They both laughed together.

"There's a joke, and I am not the object of it?" Robert approached their table holding his lunch tray. Both Darla and Sam moved their trays to the side to make room for Robert.

"Have a seat Robbie." Darla said

Robert grabbed a chair and sat to the side of the table. He then took a long drink from his soda as he eyed both of them. Putting his cup down, he looked back and forth between Sam and Darla. "Hey, don't let me interrupt."

"Oh, you're not interrupting," Darla said. Then a smile came to her face. "We were just talking about cutting male parts off," she said holding back her laugh.

Robert just stared at her, but Sam had to continue.

"Yea, then forcing him to eat it." Sam had a large grin on her face.

Robert looked down at the hotdog on his tray, and just pushed it towards the center of the table. Both girls roared with laughter. Once again, it was at his expense, but he didn't care. It was good to hear Sam laugh once again. The girl's laughter died away to smiles, and Darla pushed the tray back to Robert.

"Have you heard from Mike?" Robert directed the question to Sam. She continued to smile, so he felt good about asking the question.

"Yes." Sam said bashfully. "He connects with me at the end of each of his shifts. Unfortunately, that's at three o'clock in the morning for me." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"That's so sweet." Darla said. "I am so jealous." She then teased with a pout.

"We actually talk about a lot of different things, including a little bit of work stuff."

"Good. I am glad to hear it." Robert was genuine happy for them. If anyone could help Sam through this, it was definitely Mike. "You realize he didn't want to leave. I had to threaten the safety of his car, you know."

"Yes, I know. You told me when you visited me in the Hospital, when I didn't want to see anyone." Sam paused for a moment "God I wished I made him stay longer, and not asked him to leave." Sam said with exasperation. Then she got very quiet.

Darla reached for Sam's hand. "Don't worry about that, because you have a great thing now." Her voice was hushed and caring. Sam just nodded and frowned a little, but she avoided eye contact. Darla saw Sam's eyes begin to swell up, and she knew she went where she shouldn't have.

"Oh damn, I am sorry. Shit!" Darla said regretfully.

Sam responded by grabbing Darla's hand tightly, and waving her off with other. She then smiled and wiped the tear from her cheek.

"Well, I am getting out of here before this mouth of mine says anything else," Darla said looking at both Robert and Sam.

"You know that is what I love about you," Sam said with a smile. Darla nodded, then got up and left the table.

Sam watched Robert as he kept his eyes on Darla as she walked away. She needed to talk to him, but she has been avoiding it for some time. She figured now is as good time as any.

"Robbie, do you remember telling me about your dreams?" She watched him freeze in the middle of chewing his food, and look down at his soda. After a few seconds, he slowly nodded.

"Is that how you found me?"

Robert started to chew his food quickly, and picked up his soda to wash it down. He has always said that she called him, and that he brought Mike to save her. That was his story, and he was going to tell her again.

But Sam began talking before he could finish swallowing his drink. "I know I did not call you. Please don't insult me. I wish I called you when I was in my car. But I was too stupid."

Robert calmly looked at her. He really admired her. She was not stupid, and he knew he could not lie to her any longer. However, he wouldn't dare tell he was checking up on her.

"I don't know why, but somehow in my sleep I sensed you were in trouble. I was able to pinpoint where you were at, and I called Mike."

"What did you see while you were dreaming?"

"Not much actually. You see, I could only see what you could see while you are awake. It's like I am able to pick up on all of your senses. So, since you were blindfolded, I could only sense what you were feeling and hearing."

"Then how did you find me when I was blindfolded?"

Robert stopped and looked at her. Damn she was smart, and now he would have to give more details. He knew this could be dangerous.

"Well, um, a cat showed me the street sign."

Sam just looked at him blankly. "What the fuck are you talking about? Do you think I am that stupid?"

"No. Listen. You see, I can either tap into what you are experiencing. Or, I can step back, so to speak, and see other living things near you." He paused, but she just stared at him.

"Like the cat." Sam continued to stare at him.

"The weird thing is though; the cat could see me there. And because I touched it, I could pick up its senses; what it was seeing." Robert said with some excitement.

Sam shook her head quickly, and then said. "The cat could see you and you touched it?"

"Yea, well maybe. I mean I lured it to the street, and since I could see what it saw, I was able to see the street signs." He looked at her and she just looked at him with a blank stare. Exasperated, he put his elbows on the table and put his forehead in the heels of his hands.

After a short while, Sam spoke up. "So let me get this straight. While in a dream, you somehow sensed I was in trouble, so you found me but couldn't see anything because my eyes where blinded. So you decided to find a cat nearby, through which you tricked it into showing you the road signs to where the building was located."

Without lifting his head up, Robert just responded. "That's about it in a nutshell."

Sam didn't know what to think. She has known Robert for a long time. She was certain he was sincere in what he was saying, and not sounding off like some crazed lire. Clearly, something happened to him and he believes strongly in it. Whatever it was, saved her life.

For a long while, there was no response from Sam. Curious as to why there was silence, Robert lifted his head to look at Sam. She was silently crying.

"No, no, please don't cry. I am not making fun of you. Really, I'm not. I am telling you the truth".

Sam wiped the tears from her face. "Yea, well. If you didn't have this crazy dream, I am certain I would be dead right now. I just don't know what I could say to thank you."

"Hearing you laugh earlier was thanks enough." Robert said smiling.

"I am only sorry you didn't see who attacked me." Sam picked up a napkin to dry her nose.

"I tried. Really I did. I went back into the past a little, but didn't see anything."

"You can see the past?" Sam got attentive. "If you can, please go back and look again."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't like to pry around. It's not my place..."

"You have to!" Sam was excited. "Please, you have to. I have nothing to hide. I mean geese, you saw me naked."

"Well, yea, for the second time now actually."

"What?" Sam was shocked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there was that time the entire gang of us all went hiking by the lake. Sunday morning, Mike and I..."

Sam put her hands over her face to cover her embarrassment. "Shut up, shut up, shut up. I don't want to hear this."

"Okay, sorry."

Uncovering her face, she stared at Robert. "Please go back if you can. I need to know."

"Okay. If I have the opportunity".

Robert truly did not want to poke around in Sam's memories. It has been weeks since he has been in the Hall, and he had no desire to. He realized that Leviathan could have latched onto any of the people that have gone to L4, including Mike. He knew he was not the savior that Saria wanted him to be. After all, she even abandoned him when he needed her guidance the most. Robert was sure she knew he would fail.

However, Sam's pleas were hard to ignore. It was now about her, and who hurt her. He would try to help his friend the best he could.

Chapter 50

Mike was pulling a double shift. Bill, who normally took the shift before him, has been sick for the past couple of days, and it was his turn to cover Bill's shift. He worked in the Auxiliary Control room, which was located down the corridor from the Main Control Center (MCC). It was a small room, about fifteen feet by twenty feet, filled with flat panel displays on each wall. There was a main console in the middle of the room that sat two people. The console had two keyboards with an associated display. Around the room were different control stations below groupings of displays; one station for each critical system on the L4.

For this trip though, this room was not connected to the systems of the craft. Instead, all of the sensors and automated measuring equipment that monitored every aspect of the craft were wired into this room. Mike had lovingly called it the ICU since everything that had to do with monitoring L4's health was wired to something in this room. From here, he could record and analyze every creek, bump or bang.

The buzzer above the door, which was to his right while he sat at the console, buzzed twice. This feature was to allow anyone in the room to be aware that someone wanted to enter, as well as allow them warning to lock the door. While designing the L4, it was thought that safe guards be put in place to protect people from unforeseen events; this entry warning system was one. Two seconds later, the buzzer sounded again, and the door slid into the wall allowing Joe Staunch to enter the room.

Joe was a forty-five year old Structural Engineer who has been off the earth for almost two years. He stood about five feet, six inches high, was fit and muscular, and his gray hair washed out his pale white complexion and blue eyes. He was the team leader of the group that finished the hull construction of the L4.

"Well, what do you see Mike? Anything interesting?"

Mike leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "Nah, the same. The rind is holding up really well, but, I don't know, I don't like the way the forward race is sounding."

The L4 craft was shaped like a football with stubbier ends. They called the outer shell of the craft the rind, and was made from a combination of materials; the majority of which was mined from the moon. The widest diameter of the craft was just over three quarters of a mile, and contained all of the living and office space. There was a large shaft, about 30 feet in diameter that ran through the ends of the craft that controlled the rotation of the craft to produce the artificial gravity. At the ends of the shaft, outside of the football section was the engine portion at one end, and at the other end were a combination of an Observation Deck, Science Deck, and a Docking Port. Further beyond this section was a protection structure to deflect debris as the craft moved through space."

"I have just spent the last two days crawling around that race. I will admit, it doesn't sound like the aft race, but I can assure you there is nothing wrong with it." Joe moved around the console to sit in the other seat. Touching the keyboard, the display powered up in front of him. He typed in a few commands, and then looked over at Mike who was still rubbing his eyes.

"Why don't you go for a walk? The artificial daylight is great this time of day."

Mike laughed as he stretched in his seat. "Yea, maybe I will. I need to go to the MCC anyway. Some of the analysis I had run should be done by now. I need to get their print out. How long are you going to be here?"

"I am leaving now. My shift is over. I am going up to the Observation Deck to take in the view."

Mike nodded, and then swiveled his chair away from the desk. "Who do you think you are bullshitting Joe, you like floating around with the girls." Mike said as he patted Joe on the back while getting out of his chair.

Joe looked over as Mike walked to the door. "Yep, full, round, perfect breasts. What's not to love?"

Mike waved his hand at the sensor on the wall beside the door, and the door slid open. "You're going to hate gravity when you get back to earth." He said as he walked out into the main corridor.

The main corridor was about sixty feet wide that went around the inside of the middle of the craft. It had the feeling of being in a shopping mall, except there were walls instead of shop windows.

Though he has been on the L4 for nearly a month, the sight of following the corridor up and over his head, and then back down the other side always amazed him. This was especially true when there were people on the other side, either walking or driving the electric carts. They were over a half a mile away, and as he watched the tops of their heads, he couldn't help but anticipate them to start falling off the other side towards him.

He turned right after exiting the room and headed to the MCC. The walk wasn't too far, about fifty yards. Looking up, he stared at the main axial far above his head. It seemed to glow with all of the lights that surrounded it. There was no view to the outside of the craft from the living area. All of the views were at the forward and aft ends of the vessel. The central part of the craft that rotated around the shaft, was open and hollow; with buildings and hallways around the perimeter of the shell. At the ends of the open space of the craft were solid walls that went up to the axial. A city trapped inside a football, spinning through space.

As Mike approached the MCC door, he waved his hand at the door sensor. He could hear the buzzer on the other side. After a few seconds, the doors slid away from one another. They opened to a landing area that looked out over the control area. Only the landing portion of the control room was powered up, and only three people were in the room. Two were low rank military service men sitting at a console on a wall furthest to Mike's right, and the third was a civilian sitting at console on the wall to Mike's left. He was leaning back in a chair with his feet up on the console.

Mike approached the civilian, and slapped him on the shoulder.

"How are things going Preston?"

Looking back over his shoulder, Preston smiled at Mike. "Ah, Mike old chap. Good to see you, in fact you are on early today."

"Yea, Bill is still sick. Things going okay with you?" Mike moved towards the printer at the left end of the console were Preston sat."

Well yea, rendering still takes a long time. Even on the main frame." Preston's tone was relaxed.

"I would think. Moving a galaxy of billions of stars would take some time I suppose." Mike began fishing through the printouts. "Did you see a stress analysis report in this stack?"

"Nope, I haven't looked at anything in there." Preston took his feet off the table and stood up.

"Ah, here we go." Mike looked over the page.

"Is there a problem we should be concerned about?"

Mike looked up and saw the panic in Preston's eyes. "Relax man. Everything is good. In fact, everything is real good." We'll be bringing L4 to forty percent power in a couple of days."

"Oh, and what does that mean."

"It means we'll be going faster than any man has ever gone. And we'll be doing a sling shot around Mars back towards the Earth."

"Oh, well there's no need to rush. Let's not stress anything." Preston did a slight exaggerated chuckle as he sat back down in his chair.

"When we swing around, we'll be in sight of the sun, you could launch that probe of yours and get your butt off this contraption." Mike said as he started to walk away.

"Now that is something to shoot for." Preston sounded relieved.

Preston has been keeping an eye on Mike. He made it a point to befriend him on the trip from Earth to the L4 site. At no point has Mike showed the slightest ill will towards Preston. So, Preston was confident that Mike had no idea what he had done.

As far as his software went, it was complete. He had finished it after the second week he was there. It just that nobody knew it, not even Glenn. His main goal now was to wait for the approval from Glenn to come home. Until then, he had six probes at his disposal to continue to shoot at the sun for test purposes. Though he was in a rush to get off this spacecraft, he was in no hurry to get back to the Earth.

As Mike walked away, there was a beep from the console notifying Preston the rendering was done. He ran several test scripts that would place the probe in multiple locations outside of the galaxy. The script would test the integrity of his software to determine whether it could recognize its location in reference to our galaxy. Slowly the result were coming up on the screen. Each line ended with a green 'PASS'.

Satisfied his program was working as expected, Preston put his feet back up on the table and allowed the scripts to test each of the random ten thousand possible locations the computer selected. Bored by the lack of work, he sat straight in his chair and began reviewing the systems of the spacecraft again. Hacking into each level of the main frame proved to be entertaining, and kept his mind busy while he waited for word from Glenn.

Chapter 51

Alice opened Glenn's office door without a knock, and entered without hesitation. Pushing the door closed behind her, she cleared her throat and approached his desk. Glenn never looked up. He continued to flip through the pages in the file opened on his desk.

"Glenn, Detective Brysen is still waiting for a moment with you." She approached his desk and looked down at him.

"Yea, I know Alice. Why won't he just go away?" He looked up at her to see the stern look she was giving him. "I mean they search everything. My house. My cars. I had finger print powder all over the god damn place." He eased back into his chair. "You know it's really quite annoying."

Alice showed her disappointment in Glenn. She bit the inside of her cheek, wonder what ever became of the decisive person Glenn used to be. She feared he must be hiding something.

"Fine," she said. "Close that file. I'll send him right in." She quickly turned away from Glenn so that she did not have to see his look of disapproval, and opened the door to Glenn's office.

"Detective, he'll see you now." The smile on her face was well practiced from years of dealing with frustrated guest waiting to gain access to Glenn.

Detective Brysen rose from the couch and tossed the magazine he had blindly been flipping through onto the coffee table. He stood six feet seven inches and was on the stocky side. In his late fifties, he had salt and pepper hair, and his round face had a silvery glow from not shaving that morning. The loose fitting gray suit he wore was in bad need of dry cleaning, but his bright white shirt and neat silk tie reflected the care and love his wife had for him.

He did the best he could to straighten his jacket and press the wrinkles out of his pants as he walked from the couch. Keeping distance between himself and Alice, he nodded as he fixed his tie.

"Thank you very much Miss, you're very kind."

Alice nodded at the Detective, and then reached in to pull the door closed after the Detective was well into Glenn's office.

"Good morning Mr. Steiner, thanks for taking time out of your busy day to see me." Detective Brysen said as he walked to Glenn's desk without looking at Glenn, and eyed the chair to his right.

"Yes, good afternoon Detective". Glenn rose from his desk and held out his hand to shake the Detective's hand. However, the Detective never saw Glenn rise; rather he sat in the chair to Glenn's left. Glenn was visibly annoyed that this worthless sob ignored his good will and made himself comfortable without being invited.

"Oh, is it afternoon already? Geez, I arrived here well before lunch. Man, time sure does fly in the busy offices of Raythian." His voice oozed with sarcasm and distaste. He looked up to find Glenn smiling and straightening his suite jacket. Regaining his composure, Glenn took his seat, leaned back, and stared at the Detective. Cursing Alice under his breath, he would have let the Detective sit out there until dinnertime.

The Detective fished his right hand into the breast pocket of his suit jacket to find his notebook. Pulling it out, he carefully turned its pages. The notebook was one of those cheap dime-store types with the metal spiral down the side. The metal spiral was bent and distorted, making it difficult to turn the pages.

Annoyed that the cartoon character sitting in front of him was wasting his time, Glenn spoke first.

"How can I be of assistance to you Detective?" Glenn paused for a response, but the pages continued to flip slowly. "Do you wish to go over my premises again? Perhaps dust everything up again." Glenn moved his arms so that his hands were touching at the fingertips on his chest.

"No, that won't be necessary. We are quite confident that there is nothing else there we could find. I would though like to find out a little more about your Butler... eh. What's his name?" He flipped through the pages a little faster.

"Preston." Glenn said blandly. "He is not a Butler, but a Personal Assistant."

"Yea, right, Preston. So a British man who walks around your house in a tuxedo wearing white gloves is not a Butler?"

"No, he's not." Glenn responded keeping his annoyance in check. He knew the Detective was trying to rowel him up.

"You do realize there are no fingerprints of this man in your house, or on your property, anywhere."

"Well he has not stayed at the house recently, but he was there at the party that Friday evening."

"Yes, of course. Wearing gloves, and dressed as a Butler of course."

"Yes, well the affair required him to be seen as part of the Waite staff. He was running the affair in the background."

"I think I had asked this before, but do you know where he lived?" The Detective had found his page and finally looked up at Glenn.

"As I said to you once before, he had an apartment somewhere on the east side." Glenn remained motionless, controlled.

"Yes, you did. We found that apartment, some clothes there. Clothes for a male and female." The Detective keenly watched Glenn's reaction.

Glenn sat up in his chair and put his hands on the desk. "That doesn't make any sense. He never mentioned he had a girlfriend." Glenn was genuinely surprises. Preston spent all of his time at Glenn's house; though he thought so. Recovering, he looked back at the Detective and said, "No doubt you found his prints there?"

"Well, there were prints there alright, more than thirty different sets." The Detective's stare was blank. Conceding that Glenn had nothing else to add, he continued. "As a Personal Assistant, he only came out to your house occasionally? I don't understand this."

"Well, as you know, he was, er is, a brilliant programmer for the company. As I explained, he needed time away from the job and instead of losing him; I retained him to do odd jobs for me. You know, to keep him close so we would not lose him as a resource."

"Yes, clearly. Conveniently actually."

Glenn showed annoyance which the Detective's doubtful actions.

"Well, what I mean is, he is actually floating around in space for your business right now, as we speak," the Detective said swirling his pen above his head.

"That is correct. His expertise was required once again for a project with National Security implications. I am sorry I cannot give you any further details. I mean I would like to. Samantha is a dear friend to all of us, but I am sorry that a rape offence doesn't amount to the level required for you to gain access to that information. However, I am certainly willing to provide you access to any and all other information."

"And you have. The Department is grateful for your openness. However, we are on the edge to move this case from a rape to a murder investigation."

Glenn knew his actions were being studied, but this information shocked him. So, he allowed his emotions to show.

"What? What?" Glenn sat back in his chair stiffly. "Is Sam okay? Wait. I just saw her this morning."

"No, Ms. Grey is fine. Other than having been raped and now baring a child because of it."

Glenn got quiet. Being reminded of what had happened to her saddened him. He knew he over stepped his bounds that evening. He wished he could roll back time and change what he had done.

"I know about the altercation that occurred between you and Ms. Grey, let me assure you the DNA testing does not tie you to that event. I just think you are a cocky rich guy who thinks he can take advantage of people."

Glenn got angry and repositioned himself in his chair.

"You know what I mean." The Detective continued. "I can see you forcing yourself on people. Making them wait an unacceptable amount of time for a quick conversation. You see my point. Right?"

Glenn wanted this man out of his office. Unfortunately, he needed to know more about the murder investigation.

"I apologize for the long wait. I had two very important video conferences with my oversea offices. It is difficult to respond to unannounced visits." Glenn's professional tone began to slip out.

"I understand. As I said, I am elevating this investigation and would like to know when Preston's space adventure will be over."

"There is nothing I know about Preston that would lead me to believe he is a murderer," Glenn lied.

"Let's just say that I don't have DNA evidence, yet. But we do have a unique narcotic recipe linking Ms. Grey to a bunch of dead Whores as well as a burned down play room that was purchased under a business name he tried to hide."

"Narcotics? A burned down what?" Glenn continued to lie. However, he did see some of the pieces coming together that showed Preston to be the serial killer he had become.

Satisfied he had Glenn on the edge; Detective Brysen rose from his chair and put his disheveled notebook back into his suit's breast pocket.

"Listen Mr. Steiner, I am going to go back and get that paper work from the Judge to allow me to have access to your 'classified' files." Detective Brysen made quotation notion with his fingers. "Then we'll see about getting Preston off of that space machine of yours. I certainly wouldn't want to widen my investigation to include aiding and abetting a suspected serial killer."

Detective Brysen turned and walked away from Glenn. He didn't care what Glenn had to say, he just knew time was now of the essence. Things were going to move much more quickly now. A smile came across his face. He silently bet himself that he wouldn't have to wait three hours for his next visit with Glenn Steiner. He quickly left Glenn's office and gave a quick nod to Alice as he walked to the elevator.

Alice's phone rang. She quickly answered it when she noticed it was Glenn calling.

"Alice, please tell my lawyer I need to see him right away. And also, get me a secure audio line to L4. I need to speak to Preston right away. Wake him up if you have to."

"Yes Glenn. Right away."

Chapter 52

When Robert returned to his desk, he found another email in his Inbox from Mike about his concerns regarding forward race. Robert had run the analysis of the data he was given three times now, and found nothing wrong. He replied to the email asking for more specific information, hoping that Mike would provide something new. Otherwise, he could see nothing wrong with the race or the casters that ran along it.

Frustrated, Robert was anxious to get home so that he could visit the Hall to go over Sam's memories again. Perhaps, there was something further back in the evening he could pick up on that would help determine who hurt Sam. He realized Saria had high hopes for him to stop Leviathan from leaving the earth, but he knew it was too late to prevent that. The events involving Sam had distracted Robert from searching for Leviathan amongst the L4 test team. The team members have been aboard L4 for weeks now, so if Leviathan wanted to be there, he was there.

More importantly, Robert wanted to help his friend. He decided to run the analysis on Mike's data one more time. He knew it would take twenty minutes or more, and that would give him a little bit of time to jump into the Hall to look around. He started the test script, and information began rolling up his screen. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and felt the pop.

He was in the Hall surrounded by many streams of orange lights. He quickly thought about Sam hitting her head on the hood of the car that evening. As always, everything began moving quickly underneath his feet. The lights began to slow and he found himself floating in on Sam hitting her head. He knew this is when the abduction occurred, but there were no other streams of light around.

"Okay, so Leviathan blocked the light stream to hide his actions." Robert felt very comfortable talking to himself. He knew no one else was around; he had traveled far back into the memory trail and suspected no other entity like him would be there. He decided to move further back, and go to the party. Stepping away from Sam's stream, he followed it back until it mixed with many other streams. He stopped to have a look at what was going on.

Entering her stream, he felt how upset she was, and she was standing on the front stoop of the house waiting for her car. Needing more information, he decided to travel a little further back, and saw her stream inter-woven with a yellow stream. Again, he entered her stream to find she was in a bathroom with a large woman. Sam was sitting on the toilet. Her emotions where reeling through panic and worry. However, she felt great comfort from the other woman.

Knowing that the yellow entity was a comfort to Sam, he needed to go a little further back. When her stream was close to a red stream, he stopped and looked in. He found Sam standing in front of Glenn who was down on the floor. He could sense Sam's anger and fear. He decided to move slowly back while in her stream. He had to stop when he saw Sam kick Glenn in the crotch.

"Oh my God!" Robert said aloud. "Did I just see that?" Sam had never mentioned this to him.

He traveled a little further back. As the figures moved in reverse, he could clearly see why Sam defended herself. He decided to move forward to watch the events unfold in the proper sequence, and to pick up what was said. He admired how cool Sam reacted while being as upset as she was, and it was smart that she left the room. He also caught that Glenn could barely get the words 'Bitch' out between his clenched teeth. In fact, he thought it would be interesting to see just how much pain Glenn was in.

He went over and entered Glenn's stream. He was disappointed that it was not occurring in real time, because then he would have been able to watch it as it occurred. Instead, he would only be able to sense the after affects. The pain was bad, but the embarrassment and humiliation were worse. Reveling in Glenn's misery, he had to stay with Glenn's senses to understand a little more. Clearly, she pissed Glenn off, and Robert enjoyed seeing that asshole in pain.

As Robert moved through Glenn's stream, he felt the pain get worse as the swelling increased. Glenn was able to get up from his hands and knees, and forced more words out between his clenched teeth. 'God damn it Preston. That girl is such a Bitch!' His anger was maddening, but his embarrassment was more still. Robert couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

He stepped away from Glenn to reconnect with Sam; he knew he didn't have much time left. Looking towards where Sam had gone, he could see her orange figure sitting on something in the distance. Then it struck him. There were no other streams around Glenn. Glenn had just spoken to someone while getting up off the floor, but there was no other memory stream present.

"Leviathan! I got you, you son-of-a-bitch." Robert got excited. He jumped back into Glenn's stream to find the name he had mentioned while getting up off the floor.

Bouncing out of Glenn's memory stream, he repeated it. "Preston." It was an odd name. Probably foreign. Someone who had been invited to the party from overseas. Robert had to think what to do next. Since Leviathan had left this pronounced invisible trail attached to this Preston, he now knew who hurt Sam and who was hosting Leviathan.

Proud he could capture two birds with one stone, he left the Hall and awoke at his desk. The test script was still running on his screen. Rolling his eyes, he needed to find a way to learn who this Preston person was. He was probably in the company database if he worked for Raythian, but there was also the chance that he worked for Glenn outside of the business. He went to the email program, and searched the address book for a Preston. There were no hits.

He hoped this Preston was on the payroll, even if he worked for Glenn outside of the business, maybe as a consultant or an advisor. He needed to get to the personnel records, but he didn't know anyone in Human Resources or Accounting. He would have to try the next best thing, go to someone who have access to all of the company's files, confidential or not. He knew Darla would surely do a little searching for her friend Sam.

Chapter 53

Robert moved quickly down the steps and through the fire door. Using his passkey, he entered the IT department, and moved quickly down the aisle to Darla's desk. He nodded to people as he passed by them, and then crossed his fingers as he approached the entrance to Darla's cubicle. A wave of relief came over him when he saw she was alone in her cubicle, working at her computer, with her back to the entrance.

"Come on in Robbie." She said startling Robert. She used the reflection in the glass of a picture frame on her desk to watch the entrance to her cubicle when her back was turned.

Robert entered slowly and leaned on the desktop to her right. Darla tapped a few keys, and then turned around slowly towards him after her monitor screens went blank.

"What's up?" her naturally jovial voice always made him smile. However, this time his smile quickly faded and he looked around to make sure no one could hear him.

"You don't look good. What's the matter?" Her smile quickly turned to a look of concern.

"Well, I need you to do some espionage work." Robert spoke softly.

"Ooh, this sounds exciting." Darla rubbed her hands together.

"I need to find someone who works for either this company or Glenn, and I don't have any friends in HR."

"Not sure I can help you there. I don't have any friends there either." She paused to think, and Robert was about to say something, but she cut him off.

"Sam has a few friends there, why don't you ask her?"

"I don't want to involve her just yet." Robert knew Darla would have to stick her neck out to access some files, so he let some of the information out to tease her along. "I believe I know who hurt Sam."

Darla's demeanor changed, and she got up from her chair to get closer to Robert.

"What do you want me to do? I only ask that you don't tell anyone else until I can go home and get my gun."

It sounded like a bad joke, but it was difficult for Robert to tell. He reared back a little and said, "You have a gun?"

Darla didn't flinch. Her stare was piercing. "What's his name?"

"Can you get access to a business wide list of people who work for the business?"

"Give me the name." Her tone was steady.

"Well I only know one of the names. I don't know if it is the first or last." Robert swallowed when he saw she was getting a little annoyed. "The only name that I have is Preston."

Darla raised an eyebrow, and lifted her head slightly. "Preston Phelps?" Her expression remained blank as she settled back into her seat.

"Do you know him?" Robert wasn't too surprised, in fact he was a little nervous it might have been one of the men she had dated in the past.

"Yea. He worked in this department a while ago. He best known for some of the software he wrote for the space program side of the business."

"Does he still work for the company? How come I don't know him?"

"He was out of Raythian doing something for Glenn for the last couple of years. But he is back on a temporary assignment doing programming for the space group again." She paused and then looked away.

She turned back to Robert. "How do you know it's him?"

Robert just looked at her. These were details he did not want to get into with her. Of all the girls he has ever met, she was the only one he felt he could get close to, and he did want to scare her off with what he could do.

"Robert, how do you know?" Darla insisted.

Robert sighed and looked to the floor. "The same way I knew about Sam's gown and shoes." He didn't want to look at her, but he needed to move this along. Looking up, he saw she was looking at him strangely, but he had to ignore the stare.

"Where is this Preston guy now?"

Darla took a while to answer, but she finally said, "On L4."

The answer rocked Robert. He felt himself move backwards, so he grabbed the sides of the desk he was leaning on. He tried to convince himself that it did not matter where Leviathan was, but knowing he was definitely on L4 made him dizzy. Robert's thoughts were jumbled. He couldn't put any of them together in his head. He needed some air, some space, and a lot of time to think.

Robert knew there was a reason Saria had an interest in him, more over the Light had an interest in him, and it had something to do with Leviathan. Was he the magnet that drew Leviathan near? Was there something between Leviathan and him that caused this all to occur? Was it his fault that Sam had been raped and almost killed? He needed to sort out these thoughts.

Ignoring Darla's questions, Robert left her cubicle. He heard Darla say something to him, but didn't hear the words she had said. He walked to the door of the department, lost in thought. He needed some air. He needed to get away and to be alone.

The Lawyer's message to Glenn was clear, bring Preston home. Now!

Just as the Lawyer was leaving Glenn's office, the phone on his desk began to chirp signifying the secure call to L4 was established. Knowing Preston was at the other end, Glenn allowed the phone to chirp a few times to allow him time to arrange his thoughts. He knew he had to be gentle with Preston. Preston was not a stupid man, and if he got wind of the notion that Glenn was shortening the mission to bringing him in to be arrested, things could get messy very quick.

To complicate matters further, the trajectory of L4 has taken put it a good distance from Earth creating a twenty second delay in their conversation. That allowed plenty of time for Preston to think about the conversation, and no time for Glenn to react if their conversation began to go poorly.

Preston received notification of Glenn's request for secure conversation, and moved to his private quarters to make the connection. He knew the only reason Glenn would call him on the secure line would be to update him on the situation with Sam. He had not spoken to Glenn since he left, so this conversation was well over due. He knew there would be a time delay, but he found the beeping of the ringtone very annoying. After a minute of the ringing, he was getting ready to click on the disconnect button.

"Yes, hello Preston. I am here. Thanks for calling me so quickly." Glenn's voice sounded mechanical, rather guarded.

"Hello Sir is there someone there with you." Preston couldn't be sure that Glenn was alone. After all, Glenn could have requested a video connection, but requested the blind audio one.

Glenn was startled by Preston's first question, and guessed Preston was paranoid by the audio conversation. "No, no. It is only me here. I am in my office. The reason I chose the audio connection is because video connections are not secure. You and I both know you need updating on the Sam situation, but there has been a change in plans with the probes that we need to discuss as well."

Preston found himself getting anxious waiting for the response. However, Glenn's response was plausible when he heard it. There were only a few channels to communicate through, and it made sense the smaller data packets of the audio would have more secure encryption.

"Excellent that makes a lot of sense." He responded back. "So, fill me in. How are things going down there?"

Glenn found the delay helpful. He was still formulating what he would say, and appreciated the extra time the communication channel was giving him.

"Well, actually, things are moving quite slowly. There is a Detective who is a bit of an asshole. In fact, he was just in my office again this afternoon. He's a bit stuck on your accent, but doesn't seem to have put many pieces together. Sam is being quiet about the whole affair. No one knows of our involvement on that evening. You did a good job cleaning things up."

Preston knew Glenn well. He knew the truth would be buried in the bullshit, so he listened carefully to what was said. Then he caught it.

"So, things are going slow. Good. I find it strange that he was in your office today, since the investigation is now several weeks old. It sounds more as if he is fishing for information. Tell me some of the things he's been asking. Has the warehouse been mentioned?"

He needed Glenn to cut the crap. The Detective would not be hanging around for a rape case, especially if Sam was not making a fuss. He knew there was something bigger that the Detective was trying to ferret out.

The last thing Glenn wanted was to get into any details of the investigation. Any discussion about the case would be dangerous. He needed to get on to explaining the false reason for bringing L4 back close to home. "He's asking nonchalant stuff. He knows about the altercation that I had with Sam, so I think he suspects her child is mine." He gave a little chuckle. "But, listen, the real reason I called is to see where you are at with your software. We need to accelerate the schedule for the Solarius probes. Are you in a position to launch a probe in the next couple of weeks?"

As he waited for Glenn's response, Preston started to get more paranoid. He was certain Glenn was not alone. He started to rub his hands together to get rid of the moisture that had formed on his palms. He began to get agitated as he listened to Glenn's next transmission. He was shocked to hear Sam was pregnant, and that Glenn was using himself as the goat! Clearly, Glenn's alibi was impeccable with all of the guests that were there. Moreover, a DNA test would prove otherwise. Whatever the reason Glenn was dishing out, he was not buying it.

"Wait! Sam is pregnant, and he's focusing on you, that just doesn't sound right." Preston responded back ignoring Glenn's attempt to change the subject. "When could you have possibly had time? Between desserts! It is not making sense why the Detective is still hanging around. There has to be more. Please fill in the gaps."

Preston was nervous now. He got up and started pacing in the room. He needed to get more information from Glenn. Therefore, he answered the question about the probe.

"I could have a probe ready if need be. It would be a good test run. However, we are pretty far from the sun now. We still have not swung around Mars yet."

This wasn't going well for Glenn. He errored on mentioning the child, he forgot Preston had no idea. He hoped he had transitioned the conversation smoothly, but mentioning the child was complete stupidity. Now, Preston sounded agitated and he wanted more information about the investigation. He clearly wasn't happy with what Glenn said, and Glenn knew he stirred Preston's fears. Glenn needed to calm Preston's worries, and focus on using the probe to turn L4 around.

"Don't worry about Sam and the child. That's not going to be an issue. Like I said, he fishing around. But listen, we need to move things along with the probe. We are thinking of changing the flight plan and reversing the course to bring you about. The plan is to do the forty percent thrust test heading back towards Earth. This trajectory will put you in a good position to fire a probe while sun spot 4947 is still facing you."

All Preston heard was 'back towards Earth'. He was certain they were coming to get him. He needed to get off this call. He needed time to think of what he should do. Glenn ignored his question about the warehouse, so there was a good chance they found the link to him. Depending on what could be dug out of the rubble, a lot worse things than a rape could be pinned to him.

"So, you need to accelerate the launch of the probe. To do that you are willing to alter the flight test and turn this monstrosity around and quickly get it back to earth." Preston paused to think about what awaited him on Earth. Images of the numerous girls he had killed to keep Glenn safe were flashing through his mind, and now Glenn was offering him up to the Police.

"Yes, that is right." Glenn responded. "It's not a big change. Once the probe is away, we'll turn her around again and go back around Mars. Put the final touches on your code, and prepare for a launch in a couple of days.

Preston was not really listening to Glenn at this point. He needed to end the call so he could think of what he could do in the quiet of his room.

"Yea, sure Glenn. I'll have it cleaned up and will be running some test while I wait for the launch. Thanks for the update." Preston clicked on the disconnect button on his computer.

Glenn was surprised by the abrupt end to their conversation. Preston was too agreeable in the end, so Glenn knew Preston was on to him. The most important thing now, would be to relay the course direction, and then put Preston under observation.

Chapter 54

Preston paced the small area in the center of his room. As far as he was concerned, going back to Earth would only be a jail sentence. It bothered Preston that Glenn avoided the question regarding the warehouse. He therefore surmised, the Police had connected him to the warehouse. Even though the place was an inferno, there could be some likelihood that there was evidence to be found. What if his trophy locker had not burned? They could then link him to some of the women that were found murdered.

He began to get hopeful; the lockers where made of mahogany. So they should have burned. But they were all the way in the back of the building, in the tiled bathroom area. Struggling with the conflicting scenarios, he closed his eyes and began to see the faces of the different girls he provided for Glenn's parties. Though Glenn enjoyed the fruits of his labor, it was he who had killed them with drug overdoses, and dumped their limp bodies in obscured spots around the city. He had protected Glenn too well.

There were so many girls, too many to accurately remember. He began to smell of their perfume, and remember some of the incredible "interview" sex he would have with them at the motel. Nevertheless, the one vision he could not shake was that of Sam strapped to his precious table. To him, she was perfect. The curves of her body consumed his thoughts. He felt as though there was a raging animal within him, craving to have her once again.

They must have found the lockers. The thought resonated in him thoughts. He was convinced. His pacing got faster. There was no way he could go back. He'd rather die than go back to that planet and serve time in jail. He pictured jettisoning himself out of an airlock holding his middle finger up to the Earth, and to Glenn.

"Yea, fuck you Glenn!" He said quietly aloud. "Thanks for covering my ass after all that I have done for you. Fucking asshole!"

That was it! The last great act of defiance for him would be to royally fuck Glenn. That's it. He would blast out a complete confession, and then blow the door on the air lock. That would be perfect. Too bad that he would not be able to hear Glenn's denials. But knowing Glenn, he would escape any recourse. No, the better thing to do would be to watching Glenn squirm as he confessed. Giving the confession to all those in the room; including the Detective. Yes, that would be better.

Preston's heart began to race. The plan was coming together. He started to feel the rush. He loved working out these scenarios, and he loved it even more knowing he would be screwing Glenn. However, accusing him wasn't enough. No, he had to crush that fucker, and the best way would be to blow L4 to pieces! Right in front of Glenn's eyes. Years of work, and billions of dollars. Gone in the blink of an eye. No better yet, a slow torturous death would be better. Yes, point this piece of shit directly at the sun, and let it drive right into it!

Preston stood still in the center of his room. A warm glow came over him; a relief like he had never felt before. He had the plan, and it was incredibly easy. Since he worked in the MCC, he has access to all of L4's systems. All he needed to do was sever the connections from Earth, and point the ship at the sun. But he would need to act fast.

Preston knew Glenn would be responding quickly. The change in course direction would probably be performed from the office in Germany. Therefore, he suspected the effort to make that happen was probably already underway. Since Glenn knew what Preston was capable of, he would probably ask the military personnel on board to monitor and observe Preston's behavior. It wasn't certain, but Preston suspected that Glenn would have waited until after his discussion with him before arranging a conference call with the Military Captain aboard.

He knew time was short and he had to move quickly. Typically, when he worked in the MCC, there were two military guys in the room; usually bored out of their mind. He would need to take them out quickly, and then lock the MCC down. Once that was done, he could slowly take over the ship.

Preston pulled his suitcase from under the bed, and removed the carbon composite nine-millimeter pistol stashed in the backing of the case. He knew it was only good for a few shots. He had thought he would have needed to use it on Mike, but now he needed it to eliminate any threats in the MCC. Stuffing the gun in the waistband of the back of his pants, he put on his light jacket and left his room.

He moved quickly to the MCC. It was comforting to see nothing had changed, everyone he saw along the way treated him normally. The subtle nods to one another, and the little waves. "Yea, hello you dead fuck." He said to himself under his breath as he smiled and waved to the young kid who worked on the Structural Crew. He also gave a wink to the 'new couple'. "Better get laid now before it's too late," he said to himself again with a big smile on his face. He couldn't believe how relieved he felt. He had a plan, and he was feeling great.

He entered the MCC and walked over the console where he normally worked. Typing a few keys, he ran the script that would bring of L4's systems up on his screen. He knew it would take a few minutes, so he walked over to the other side of the room, where the two military men sat at a console with their back to him. It wasn't unusual for Preston to walk over and talk to them, so they didn't turn around when they heard him approach.

"Is that you Preston?" One of them said.

"Yea, just me. Waiting for my console to fire up." Preston said calmly as he slowly approached.

"We heard there's a rush on what you are doing. Let us know what we can do to help"

Preston thought to himself, "You can help by being the first to die." When he was about six feet away, he slowly pulled his gun out, and shot the man on the right in the back of the head. The other man turned towards Preston, so he was shot through the right side of his head. Both men collapsed to the console, and Preston calmly watched the blood from their wounds seeped onto the tabletop and keyboards.

Preston was amazed at how unfazed he was by the blood splatter against the monitors, and the sound of the gun. He thought he would get more of a jolt, a flair of excitement. Instead, he simply turned away and walked back to his console.

"Let the games begin!" He said triumphantly. From his console, he locked the door to the MCC, and then shut down the system link to Germany. In about thirty seconds, Germany would know they lost control, so all hell would break loose. Preston then brought up the navigation screen, and saw the coordinates had already been loaded, and L4 was starting its wide turn back to Earth. Preston ran a few simulations on the star chart, made some minor adjustments to the coordinates, and then pressed enter to point the craft straight for the sun.

Preston then brought up the Environmental Systems Screen. With a click of the button, he performed a security lockdown, and all of the access doors throughout the craft were locked shut. No one would be able to enter or leave any room on the ship. To further impede anyone to get to where he was, he then opened the four airlocks of the main portion of the vessel, as well as the hanger deck. This would evacuated all of the air from the main portion of the vessel. Air would remain in the areas locked behind closed doors.

Finally, he programmed the retro-rockets on the main craft to slow the rotation to zero. This would take a while, but would cause a weightless state on the craft adding a level of difficult for anyone to get to the MCC.

The Communication Console started chirping. "Uh oh, someone's getting upset." Preston said aloud.

He smiled with satisfaction. The people trapped in the open area of the ship would be dead within a few minutes, and those behind closed doors will just have to stick around and enjoy the ride.

Sitting back in his chair, Preston then shut down all communication channels, both internal and external to the ship. L4 had just gone dark to the Earth. Moreover, within a few minutes, everyone on board will realize just how grave their situation had become.

Chapter 55

Mike was completely bored with this assignment. The structure of the craft was performing better than anyone had anticipated. Maybe he should be happy that nothing was happening, but he hated being on this ship, away from his family and friends, and away from Sam. He was only a few hours into the first part of his double shift, and groaned when he thought that the scheduled call to Sam was more than 12 hours away.

He needed to stretch his legs, again. Walking around the room, he glanced at all the displays, but did not take notice of the exact readings. All of the measures that were being recorded had limits to them. An alarm would sound if a measurement went beyond its limit. Mike had gotten to the point that he didn't really focus on the numbers or the graphs unless an alarm went off as a result of a limit being reached or surpassed.

As he came upon the screen showing the stress measurement on the 'rind', he spent a little more time examining its numbers. The front race has been a concern of his. He wasn't truly sure why, maybe it was something he picked on just to keep himself engaged. Either way, it did force him to stay focused on at least one thing.

As he studied the screen, he noticed that all of the numbers started to drift. He did a quick histogram of all the reading to see if this was a periodic event, but saw that the numbers only responded this way in the very beginning when they were pulling out of the L4 location and swinging around to a new heading.

"Are we turning?" He said to himself. "Maybe just a course correction."

He flipped the screen back to its normal setting. Then he felt the shudder under his feet.

"What was that?" he said to himself. He knew for him to feel such an effect on a massive structure like this craft, something big had to be happening. The readings on the screen started to confirm his suspicions. Alarms started going off all around the room. The screen in front of him was telling him the rind was under a tremendous amount of stress.

"What the hell is going on?" he said to himself aloud as if someone was there with him.

He walked over to the console to silence the alarms. He could tell from the screens that the stresses on the ship were increasing, but there wasn't any information as to why. He dialed up the MCC on the intercom, but the line was dead. He tried calling the Engine Room, but again the line was dead. All of his communications to this room were dead.

He got up from the console, and crossed the room to the door. Waving his hand in front of the sensor failed to open the door. He tried several times, but there was no response. He could hear screams in the corridor beyond his door, but could not distinguish what was being said. He started smacking his fist against the door hoping someone will come to his aide. After several strikes, a response came back.

From the other side, he heard a female screaming to him. "Open the door! Open the door!"

"I can't!" He yelled back. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"Decompression! We're losing air! Please open this door we need to get to the Controls!"

"There are no controls in this room. It's only measuring equipment. All of the Auxiliary Control connections were disconnected for this test flight."

There was silence on the other side. Mike began to get nervous. The ship was decompressing. Something had caused a failure in the structure of the hull, and now all of the air would be leaking from the ship.

He decided to try to keep the conversation going. "Can you get access to Main Control?"

There was a short pause before an answer came. "No, that door is locked as well. We can see that some of the airlocks are open, but we can't get to close to them without being blown out."

The woman's voice on the other side of the door became less frantic as she spoke. Mike could sense that she was making peace with herself that she did not have much time left. A sense of despair came over him, as he thought about what little he could do to help those on the other side. As he moved his hand around the door, he could feel the air being sucked out of the room he was in. He knew it would only be a short while before he would lose all of his air as well.

Robert found himself sitting on the short wall that surrounded the building along the busy city street. Whenever he had difficulty with an issue, he would come here to sit and be surrounded by the noise and commotion of the busy city street. The chaos around him made the thoughts inside his head more peaceful, more understandable. Today, he was thinking about his friends, and the dangers he has exposed to them.

It wasn't long before Sam approached him from behind, sat on the wall, and then swung her legs around so she was sitting next to him.

"You know," she said, "you scared the shit out of Darla. She thought you were having a heart attack."

"Well, I didn't mean to scare her," Robert replied. He did not want to have this conversation.

"Are you okay?" Sam said hesitantly.

She wasn't sure if he were ready to talk to her. Robert just turned his head to look at her. He did not know how he should answer that question.

"Darla told me how you found out about Preston." Sam said as she looked around at all of the people walking by.

"Yea, I thought she would." Robert said with a sigh. "Creepy right?"

"No." Sam responded lightly. "I am becoming intrigued by your, um, skill. I think there's a lot you are not telling people."

Robert perked up and looked over at Sam. He did not expect what she said. He was now concerned that she had told Darla about how he found Sam.

"Whoa, relax. I didn't tell anyone what you told me. I just think you are keeping a lot in, and that if you need to talk, I am here if you need someone."

Robert appreciated Sam's offer, but he knew she was not ready for what needed to be said. He could only imagine how she would react to knowing Devil and God were real, and that Saria is an Angle sent to help him. Imagining her reaction brought a smile to his face.

Seeing the smile come to his face, Sam relaxed a little. "Good, someday we can have a can of beer somewhere on the side of a mountain, you can tell me all your wild dreams."

"A can? Try a keg." Robert responded back in a kidding tone.

Suddenly, there was a screech of tires from the street twenty yards in front of them and the honking of horns from agitated drivers having to come to an abrupt stop. Ahead of the line of stopped cars was a black limousine. Cursing erupted from the stopped cars, the driver of a cab three cars back was the loudest. The back door of the limousine swung open, and out stepped a fit man in his sixties wearing a business suit.

The man, forgetting to close the door, headed towards Sam and Robert. Both Robert and Sam had to squint and shade their eyes from the sun to see what was going on.

"Ms. Grey! Is that you?" The elderly man said as he quickly approached Sam and Robert. "Samantha, is that you." His voice determined.

Sam blinked twice, and then jumped off the wall. Putting her arms up she said, "Mr. Steiner! Oh my God. How are you?"

The man grabbed Sam in a hug and lifted her off her feet. While he hugged her, he spoke to her left ear. "My goodness my Dear, I was hoping to run into you today."

Robert stood up from the wall and took a few steps forward. He began to feel a little awkward.

"Well, I would hope you would stop to see me if you were to visit here." Sam said as they broke away from the embrace.

"Hey, whoops, let me introduce you to Robert Hershing. He's a Mechie on one of my teams, and a very dear friend. Robert, this is Glenn's father James Steiner."

"Well Robert, very nice to meet you." Mr. Steiner said grabbing Robert by the hand and giving it a strong shake.

"Wow, Mr. Steiner, the pleasure is mine." Robert said as he fumbled for words. Not only was he shocked to be introduced to the legend of Raythian, but the flood of emotions that he got from Mr. Steiner washed over him. He could tell all of his actions regarding Sam and meeting him where genuine, but he also sensed great concern and worry.

"Well, sorry to interrupt you two, but when I saw you I just needed to come over and speak to you while I had the chance". Mr. Steiner said as he let go of Robert's hand to gently grab Sam's shoulder.

"Can I have a quiet word with you?"

Sam immediately knew this involved her rape, and she was tired of being coddled. "It's okay Mr. Steiner, you can speak in front of Robert, after all it was Mike and he who saved me."

Mr. Steiner looked over at Robert, as he held both of Sam's shoulders. "Robert, I have been around a lot of brave people in my day, well with all of the military people I have come across, and though most have done heroic deeds, I have met few genuine heroes. You are a true hero. You risked the daily comforts of your life to save one of my favorite people. I truly want to thank you."

"Well, thank you sir." Robert said stunned. He did not know what to say, but he couldn't help but think to himself, "Save her? I nearly got her killed."

Mr. Steiner focused back on Sam. "Samantha, have your parents been up to see you?"

"They were up briefly. I was having a difficult time, and..."

"I can understand how you must be feeling. When you do invite them back up, and you better," wagging his finger like a father would, "you better call me. I would like to meet them and have them as my guest. More importantly, I want to reassure them that as long as there is grass under my feet, you will have nothing to worry about."

Sam flushed with embarrassment and happiness. A tear formed in her eye. "Well, with friends like you and Robert here, I don't think I have much to worry about." Sam let out a small laugh.

"No, I suppose not." He said with a smile. "So what are you working on now?"

"Well, Robert and I are working on the L4 burn test. Robert here, worked with Mike on the structure of the vehicle."

Mr. Steiner's face went from a soft smile to a stern look of concern. "L4, huh."

"Well yes sir." Sam suddenly got concerned. She thought she had said something wrong.

He looked over to Robert. "A structural Mechanical Engineer?"

"Yes Sir." Robert said with a little confusion as he looked over at Sam.

"You two are coming with me. I need someone I can trust, and Samantha, I trust you."

Chapter 56

The warning sirens where going off on nearly every console in the MCC. Slowly, Preston migrated through each of the systems on his console and turned each siren off one by one. The Environmental systems warned of a hull breach, and a loss of gravity, the Communication system warned of a loss of signal from the home base as well as communication failures throughout the vessel, and the Navigation System warned of an object in its flight path.

Slowly he went through and switched all the warnings off. As he sat back in his chair, he now heard the sirens in the open space of the vessel, as well as several fists banging at the door. He leaned over to the keyboard next to him, and brought up the surveillance cameras. Searching though the list, he found the one labeled as 'Outer Main Control' and clicked on it. He could see two people were banging at the door. It looked like the couple he had waved to earlier.

Focusing back on his console, he found how to shut the siren off in the open space. When the sound stopped, he looked over at the couple to see their reaction. At first, they seemed relieved, but then he could tell that they could still hear the rushing of the air leaving the vessel. The couple walked away sadly, leaving the camera to show only the door.

Pulling up the Navigation System on his console, he could see that the engines had reached their operational level of fifty percent thrust. In one of the boxes on the screen labeled 'Time to Impact' read 36:40:03.

"A little over a day and a half until impact." He said to himself. "Probably less than that with the gravity of the sun."

It had only been about ten minutes since he took over L4 Main Control room, and he was happy things were going as planned. He was in no hurry to talk to anyone on Earth. Though, he would love to hear the panic in their voices. Their pleas to stop what he was doing. But all that could wait. It was more important now to know what was going on around him. He quickly got up from his seat to sit at the console next to him, where he had the security video on the monitor.

As he did so, he felt like he jumped out of his chair. So much so, that his feet briefly left the floor and then touched back down again. The spin of the ship was slowing down. The artificial gravity was waning. Soon there would be weightlessness, and it would be difficult for anyone to do anything, including him. He walked over to the two soldiers he had killed. He removed each of their belts, and then returned to his console. The seats were bolted to the floor, so after he sat down, he interlocked the belts and fished one through the bottom of the seat. Latching the belts around his legs close to his lap, he was secured to the seat and did not have to worry about fighting to stay seated when the gravity was gone.

He flipped through the list of cameras that he could access. All of the common areas could be viewed, but none of the private rooms. He switched to the two Cafeterias to find many personnel were trapped in them. In each cafeteria, there where groups of men, mostly military, trying to pry the doors open. The woman in each huddled around one another, some crying, some consoling, and others just sat waiting.

He switched to the hanger deck. This area was forward of the rotating portion of the craft. The hanger doors had been opened and he saw one soldier floating in the middle of the deck: no doubt he did not have a chance to evacuate before the doors opened. He switched to the Observation Deck, which was above the Hanger Deck. It had several people locked in it. Some trying to pry the door open, others floated around. Preston debated with himself whether to shut their air off, but with a smile on his face decided to leave them alive. They would have the best seats of their approach to the sun.

Other views around the open area of the ships showed people huddled in groups waiting for the inevitable. None of the people were floating yet, but most were huddled near the doors of common areas, like the cafeteria or the MCC area. He knew it would not be long before they would run out of air, so he leaned back and watched the screen. He was surprised to find it did not bother him to watch those people slowly suffocate.

Mike was getting frantic. It had grown quiet outside his door. The sirens had stopped, and the woman was no longer responding to his voice or banging on the door. He moved away from the door, and found himself taking an unusually long step. He realized the spin of the main vessel was slowing, and they were losing gravity. He went over to view a few of the displays, and found the readings confirmed the spin was slowing.

Confused by what he saw on his screens, he could not determine what had caused the loss of air and spin, and the locked doors. He surmised that someone, probably the military, had taken over the ship. It was either that, or someone back on Earth was sabotaging their test. He went back to his console to think of what he could do. Fear had settled in though. His thoughts were jumbled. He knew he would eventually run out of air, and he would not have the opportunity to say goodbye to his friends, to Sam.

Mr. Steiner, Sam, and Robert took the express elevator to the top floor of the building. Exiting the elevator, they came face to face with the distraught Alice. With a tissue in her hand, she continually dabbed at the tears forming at the sides of her eyes.

"Oh, Mr. Steiner. Thank God you are here."

Mr. Steiner immediately walked up and embraced Alice. The history between them went back a long way. Mr. Steiner had a hard time finding words to console her.

"Alice, you did the right thing. Thank you for keeping me in the loop. Now why don't you get yourself a nice hot cup of tea, and have a seat at your desk."

Alice shook her head. "Thank you Jim. They're all in the Executive Conference room."

Alice headed back to her desk, while Robert followed Mr. Steiner and Sam down the hall towards conference rooms. The Executive Conference room was smaller and plusher than the Main Conference room were Sam attended her Project meetings. It was directly across the hall from the Main Conference Room. Mr. Steiner slowly opened the door, and Sam and Robert followed him into the room.

The voices were loud with many people speaking at once. Hans was displayed in the monitor hanging on the wall to the left of the door, and just a few feet away. Hans was obviously video linked from Germany. There were five others in the room. Glenn sat at the far end of the table left of the door entrance intently reading some documents. An Air Force General stood along the wall to Glenn's right, just beyond the monitor. He was engrossed in a heated debate with Ben Woodson, the VP of Business Security who sat to Glenn's right towards the middle of the table just in front of the monitor displaying Hans. Mary, an executive secretary, sat in the middle of the table across from Ben typing on a keyboard. While Carl Mathews, the VP of Engineering was having a loud conversation with Anita Fleming, the VP of Personnel. Both sat beside each other on the left side of Mary furthest from Glenn.

Sam pointed to two chairs at the end of the table opposite of Glenn, and ushered Robert and herself back there to sit down. Clearly she felt as out of place as he did. They took their seats and watched the cacophony of voices and actions around them. Robert could not believe some of the behavior of some of the Executives, and had difficulty trying to pick up on a thread of any conversation to figure out what was going on.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked Sam as he leaned over to her.

"I don't know. I have never seen anything like this before."

Suddenly, the conversations in the room began to cease as people began to realize Jim Steiner was walking up along the wall past the monitor towards Glenn.

"Jim. What are you doing here?" Glenn said as he stood from his chair. To maintain professionalism at work, Glenn always called is father by his first name. This was not out of disrespect to his father, but his father insisted it be that way for others to keep respect for Glenn. The lasting thing either wanted was to have 'Daddy' floating around in the room.

Mr. Steiner's look was stoic. He looked around the room slowly. Everyone uncomfortably moved in their seats,, while the General remained standing against the wall. The silence in the room was deafening, while everyone waited for Mr. Steiner to say something. He looked up at Hans who was rubbing his forehead while looking down at some papers on the desk were he sat.

Mr. Steiner knew exactly what was going. Between Alice, the Lawyer, and a few other well-placed personnel, he was well informed about what was going on in his company. The problem for everyone else was that they did not know how much he knew, especially Glenn.

"Han's what's the status of L4?" His voice was slow and commanding.

Glenn jumped in before Hans could respond. He was furious his father would bypass him in front of all these people. "Not, much has..."

"I did not ask you." His father said taking a step towards him. "When I need a response from you, I'll ask you. Right now I want the facts, not some candy coated bullshit."

The room got even quieter. A smile came across the General's face, and Hans cleared his throat. Glenn settled back into his seat.

"Well Jim, we have no signal from L4. We do not know if it's dead out there or what is going on."

Sam gasped, and Robert straightened in his seat. The gravity of the situation began to settle upon them.

Hans continued. "We do have a fix on radar. After responding to the course correction, everything just stopped working."

"The course correction was entered though?" Mr. Steiner's was confirming what he had heard. "It is heading back towards Earth?" Mr. Steiner continued.

"Well not exactly. Its current trajectory puts it on a path directly to the sun."

Robert gasped and stood up quickly. He knew Preston was on board, probably under possession of Leviathan, and now all that was told to him was coming true. He felt Sam tug at his shirt, and he sat back down.

"Mike is on that thing," she said in Robert's ear. Her voice was meek, and Robert could feel her shaking as she grabbed his arm.

"How did you get in here?" Glenn said peering around Anita pointing to Robert.

"I invited him." Mr. Steiner said as he waved Glenn off with his hand. The gesture was to say 'shut up and sit down.' "General, what can you tell me about the status of the ship?"

"Yes Jim. Well, before losing communications with our systems, the ship did indeed have a correction that pointed it towards the Earth. However, shortly after, another correction was made to direct it towards the sun. The automatic locks to all of the slide doors on the ship were locked, and the main air locks where opened." A collaborative gasp came from everyone in the room; even Mr. Steiner seemed to lose some of his commanding stature.

The General continued. "Once the airlocks were opened, a signal to the rotation system was given to stop the rotation. It was after that when all communications were lost."

Mr. Steiner remained quiet, assessing all of the information. Hans was visibly embarrassed that the military had decoded and assemble this information before his team had done it. Everyone else in the room remained quiet, looking down at the table.

Sam's grip on Robert's arm tightened as she pulled herself closer to his shoulder. "Robbie, is Mike okay?" He felt her wipe her tears on the shoulder of his shirt as he remained focused on Mr. Steiner's reaction. "Please Robbie, tell me Mike is okay."

Chapter 57

Robert settled back in his chair and listened to the discussion going on in the room. Resting his right elbow on the chair's armrest, he cradled his forehead in his hand. He felt Sam let go of his other arm. He worried that he would fall out of the chair, but he felt he was in a good position. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves. He entered the Hall.

Most of the figures around the room were a deep orange; except for Mr. Steiner who was yellow. He looked over to Sam to see her figure sitting in an invisible chair next to him. He could see the small girl's figure standing a short distance away. However, he could still not see his own figure. Frustrated by this, he worried about visiting Mike who was off the Earth. He did not know how that would work. As he thought of Mike, he began to float away from the figures in the room. Quickly everything around him began to shrink, and as he watched, it all zoomed out to a single spec of light.

The trip he was on reminded him of the dream he had early on. He could not tell what direction he was moving. He looked around for any spec of light and saw some approaching to the rear of him. He turned around to watch the approach to see that the light he saw was a combination of many smaller lights, and their streams started to become visible.

He approached quickly and soon found Mikes figure in a seated position. Robert touched his shoulder, and left his hand there for a while. He could feel Mike's confusion, his fear, his sorrow. Surprisingly, Mike stood up.

He didn't know why, but Mike's jumbled thoughts settled into a single thought of him. He felt Mike's fears dwindle, and his thoughts began to focus on how Robert had collapsed when they saved Sam that night. Through his touch, Robert sensed that Mike felt he was near.

"Hey Buddy, I need your help." Mike said feeling very foolish. He knew Robert could not hear him, but he felt comforted pretending he was not alone.

Robert heard what he said. "I am not sure I can do anything, but I'll try."

He stepped away from Mike's moment and looked around at all the other lights. There was a yellowish-orange one very close to Mike, so he went over and touched it. He found himself standing next to a woman who was seated on the floor and leaning against a door. The despair she felt was over whelming. He could tell she had a very difficult time breathing. She was thinking of her children and her husband. He could tell she could not cry anymore.

Robert looked around and saw the sign next to the door. It read Auxiliary Control. He now knew Mike was in the Auxiliary Control room, and that the MCC was just down the corridor. Stepping away from the woman's moment, he looked down towards the MCC's direction, but could not see any light. Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him.

Spinning around, he found another yellowish figure had appeared and was standing beside him. It had a solemn look, and he could not tell if it were male or female. Before he could say anything, it reached down to the woman. When it touched her, a bright white flash occurred, and then they were both gone. Robert was certain he had just witnessed the woman's death and recombination with her spirit.

The bright flash continued to slowly grow outward like a bright expanding bubble. As the flash of the union washed over him, an incredible feeling of peace came upon him. As it washed over him, it felt like warm sunlight. He felt relieved to know that the final moments of horror the woman had lived through ended in a wave of peacefulness.

Unfortunately, the sudden wave of peacefulness shock Robert back to his current situation. He knew he needed to do something, or a lot more premature deaths would occur. He found himself swell with determination. He looked back at Mike's figure to see that he was seated again.

He walked over and grabbed his shoulder again and said, "Don't you dare give up."

Mike felt a wave of determination fall over him. He needed to do something. Just sitting there wasn't helping his disposition. He started typing on the computer. Pulling up drawings, looking over things. There must be something he could do. There had to be some way for him to get to the MCC.

Robert smiled when he saw his friend start to do something. He knew his time was short, and that he needed to check back in to the conscious world. However, before doing so, he needed to confirm that Preston and Leviathan were in the MCC. He walked towards the room. In his mind, he visualized walking through the wall of the ship to get to where he wanted to go.

As he walked, he began to feel Leviathan's presence. He felt the familiar coolness, and he began to smile.

"I can feel you're here, you son-of-a-bitch. I will not permit you to get away with this." He let out a laugh. "I am going to stop your sorry ass. You piece of shit."

"Really." Leviathan said as he appeared a few feet away.

"Oh, yea," Robert said preparing himself for Leviathan's response.

As expected, Leviathan quickly appeared in front of him and grabbed his throat.

"Well, perhaps I should just eliminate you now," he said through clenched teeth.

Robert could feel the pain and his energy being too drained. "You know what?" He said with a smile. "Hold that thought." Robert pictured white light and then felt the popping sensation, and with a jerk, he awakened in the conference room.

Sam was a little startled when Robert jerked awake. She held her breath as she watched Robert orient himself. As he looked around the room, he could tell no one seemed to notice that he had gone into his trance. Some of the people in the room had moved around a bit; Glenn was up walking around engaged in a conversation, and his father had taken his seat. Robert got a little nervous when he saw Mr. Steiner looked at him in a curious manner.

Robert straightened himself in his seat, and then put his hand on Sam's leg. He leaned close to Sam and said, "Mike is alive and in a secure place."

A wave of relief came over Sam. She exhaled slowly, and slouched in her seat. With the weight lifted from her shoulders, she began to focus on the issue at hand and started listening intently to Glenn and the others at the table. With Mike alive and okay, she needed to find a way to bring him home safely.

Mr. Steiner had been watching Robert, and saw his actions. Clearly, he could tell Robert shared something with Sam, and that whatever it was changed her attitude completely. He directed his attention to Glenn's conversation with Ben about trying to reconnect with L4 somehow. He knew that conversation was going nowhere, so he took the opportunity to interrupt the conversation when it arose.

"Tell us what you know. Robert isn't it?" He spoke loudly as he casually point across the table to Robert as he spoke.

Robert cleared his throat. "I am sorry Sir, but communications is not my thing."

"I know that. I think your expertise is quite clear to me. Please tell us what you know. What news have you given Sam to put her at ease now that you have woken up?"

Robert felt his face go flush with embarrassment as he felt he was back in high school being called up to the front of the class. He noticed that the General awoke from his daze standing along the wall, and took a step closer to Robert. Everyone else in the room turned to look at him. Glenn was obviously very annoyed.

Mr. Steiner walked behind Glenn then up beside the General. He put his hand to the General's chest and pushed him back slightly as he whispered something to him. Robert began to sweat. Everyone was looking at him, Mr. Steiner continued to approach him, and Glenn looked like he was ready to throw him out a window. Sam put her hand on his right arm which was resting on his nervously bobbing right leg.

Mr. Steiner stopped in front of Robert and looked down at him. "Please come with me to the hallway," he said directly to Robert. He then turned and walked to the door of the room, opened it, and then stepped into the hallway without looking back.

Robert had no choice; he got up from his seat and followed Mr. Steiner out of the room. As he left the room, he could hear conversations occurring in hushed tones, but could not hear any distinguishable words.

Mr. Steiner was just outside the door, and pulled Robert close to him. "I have seen others do the actions you just did in there, and I am certain you have very important information to share. Now I can tell you that some of the people in that room will be surprised by what you'll say. Regardless, I will hold them to their oath of secrecy to what is said in that room. I understand that I cannot force you to say anything, but I assure you if we can act on the information you have, we might be able to save a lot of people."

"Oh, I don't know," Robert said nervously. "How about I tell you, and then you can..."

"It won't matter. They will all know it came from you." Mr. Steiner paused and looked at Robert. "Please consider it." He then turned away from Robert and reentered the room.

Alone in the hallway, Robert was scared. He knew he had to go in there and say something. Mike's life, as well as others, may depend on it. He took a deep breath and entered the room. Everyone looked up at him. He stood motionless just beyond the doorway. Ben Woodson, seated at the table to his left, slid his chair back and reached over to close the door.

"I would like to remind everybody the importance of what is said in this room, and how secure it is." Mr. Steiner's voice was strong and commanding. "Due to the national security interests we are involved in, I expect everyone to honor the oath they have taken. Robert, do you have something to share?"

The General took another step forward. Robert cleared his throat and shook his head yes. He looked over to Sam, and a smile beamed from her face reassuring him.

"Mike Rossini is alive and is in the Auxiliary Control room. A woman has just passed away outside his door from the lack of oxygen."

Robert looked around the room. Nearly everyone was staring at him. Most had a quizzical look on their face. Hans had relaxed for the first time since the meeting had started, and settled back in his seat.

Robert continued, "Preston has locked himself in the MCC. He is alone."

Robert shrugged his shoulders, and then walked to seat. After he sat down, Sam put her hand on his arm again and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The room remained quiet as everyone digested the information. Sam couldn't take the indecision any longer. She stood from her seat.

"Mary could we put the floor plan up on the screen over here please?" She said pointing to the monitor. "Sorry Hans, but we are going have to turn off your video. Also, I need to have the 3D mechanicals up as well."

Mary began typing on a keyboard. Sam looked over at Mr. Steiner, and was surprised by the smile on his face. For the first time since they had entered the room, he felt there was a chance that they may be able to save some of the people on that ship.

Chapter 58

The Conference Room had an energy flowing through it. Mr. Steiner had step back away from the table, and now leaned against the wall. Looking around the room, he saw that everyone was engaged with the effort to find a way for Mike to get to the Main Control room and to somehow tell him how to do it. If someone wasn't talking on their cell phone, then they were working on their laptop. Hans remained engaged over the voice link, while Mary worked the computer that display the L4 plans on the wall monitor. Mr. Steiner knew when a team did not need his leadership, and he saw Sam was back in the game, taking control as he had witnessed so many times before.

She was a young Engineer he had recruited away from one of his company's competitors. He smiled as he remembered approaching her while at a meeting in his competitor's building. He was making a move to buy his competitor's business, and was receiving a high level, benign presentation about the company's projects. Sam was one the Primaries on some of the projects, and she was giving the presentation.

He remembered witnessing how natural it was for her to command an audience. The answers to the questions he drilled at her flowed from her without effort. Though she was young, her insight into subjects other than her own discipline impressed him. For her, she was giving a presentation to an asshole that would probably fire her once he took over the business. For him it was an interactive interview in which she had him sold in the first five minutes.

When the meeting was complete, she sat on the other side of the table from him with a blank expression. She was good at controlling her emotions. He could see the fire in her eyes, the animosity towards him, but she did not let it show through her body language. After the meeting, he ran into her during his tour. He made a special effort to walk over to her to shake her hand. He apologized for being tough on her in front of her peers and management, and then asked her to come work for him as a Project Manager. A month later, she had joined his organization.

As he watched the room, he saw Glenn walking around giving some small commands but still helping in one way or another. He smiled as Glenn looked over at him, and Glenn returned the smile. He signaled Glenn to come over and sit in the chair at the head of the table that was in front of him. Glenn made his way over and took his seat as his father suggested.

From behind, Mr. Steiner put his hand on Glenn's shoulder and softly said, "They don't need you now. They all know what they're doing."

But it was hard for Glenn. He knew he was in trouble with Preston locked in the MCC. He knew that somehow his involvement with Preston would come out. It bothered him that he didn't know much about Robert. The skinny, wiry freak show, who knew the structure of the ship, and it was obvious he had a special bond with Sam. Each anticipated what the other was thinking. It was the result of working closely with each other over the years, and it made him jealous as hell.

"Okay, Mary. Bring up the 3D of the substructure under Auxiliary Control again." Robert said as he rolled his chair around the end of the table towards Mary. He needed to get a better view of the screen. He politely signaled to the woman at the keyboard, "Mary, please zoom in on the bulkhead to the left there."

"What are you fishing for Robbie" Sam said as she walked around the table for a better view and leaned down next to him

"I am not sure yet. Let me look at this. You stay focused on the communication issue."

Sam patted him on the shoulder. "You got it Bud." Then she left his side and went over to where the General and Carl were talking on the cell phone to a military communications group.

"Mary," Robert said to the woman with the keyboard, "let me have the keyboard and the mouse." He said signaling with his fingers to slide them down the table to him.

Once at the controls, he moved the 3D model around on the screen quickly. Though he was used to using different controls at his desk, he could still do much better than Mary could. He designed the sub level under the living areas of the ship. This is where all of the utilities were fed to each of the areas around the ship. The area was pressurized allowing work crews access for repairs. The bulkheads were solid walls that contributed to the main structure of the ship. They needed to be solid and strong, but they also provided areas through which pipes and cabling could be fed through.

Robert knew there were spaces where a man could squeeze through, and he knew where to look. Unfortunately, Mike would not know. Though he was the lead architect, he did not know every detail. Robert designed this area, so he knew it very well. He zoomed in on the wall, and focused on an area in the lower right. This was the section where all of the large pipes went through. There was a curved cutout, and several large pipes, some twenty-four inches in diameter, went through the wall.

"Hey Sam, I think I got something." Robert said aloud.

The room went silent, and everyone look at the screen.

"If we can get him to this section of the bulkhead, he could squeeze through the pipe chase."

Sam spoke up, "I don't know Robbie. It doesn't look like there's enough room. Give me a body-model."

With a couple of clicks on the key board, a 3D image of a man appeared. Though there was space up in the corner, it was clear the model of the man would not fit.

"Yea, I don't know. Mike's a big guy. He's not going to fit," Sam said with doubt in her voice.

"Yea, but wait. These are not the most recent files. See the pipes in this section." He said as he clicked on the smaller pipes where the opening was. "These are the hydraulic lines. If you remember, Mike moved them to the other side of the main supper structure. If I delete these five pipes," Robert did so as he spoke, "the space becomes large enough to fit a man the size of Mike after one of his feeding frenzies."

Sam let out a laugh along with some others in the room. It wasn't so much about the little quip Robert made about his friend, but more about expressing relief over finding a way into the MCC.

"Okay folks," Sam said as she clapped her hands, "We have a way, we now need a means to get the message to him. With communications down, our best is transmitting a signal to the walkie-talkies the military personnel are wearing. Can we boost our transmit signal high enough to talk to them?"

Robert leaned back in his chair. No one was sure where any of the soldiers were. In addition, no one could be sure if they could receive the transmitted signal. The reply signal back from the soldiers would be too small to receive by the satellites orbiting the earth. He knew time was running out, and he figured there had to be some way to get Mike through the bulkhead.

Suddenly, the phone on the table began to chirp. It was the ring that indicated a satellite connection was coming in. Someone was calling from L4. Everyone froze in the room. Mary leaped up from her seat, and reached down across the table for the keyboard. Robert was surprised at the athleticism of the woman.

She winked at him and said, "Nice job Robbie, but it's my turn to drive now."

Chapter 59

Preston was bored out of his mind. It had been a little over an hour since he took over the ship. Its rotation had stopped, and items that were not tied down began to float aimlessly around. The central open area of the ship was completely void of any air, and Preston watched with indifference the lifeless bodies float in the common areas and main corridor.

He numbly sorted through the directory of channels he could connect to, and saw the number to the Executive Conference Room at Raythian headquarters. He was certain all of the 'best minds' of the business were now in that room. So he felt it was time to have a conversation with Glenn. He opened a secure channel, and clicked on the number.

An audible chirping began as the system worked to establish a connection. After two minutes, he began to get annoyed by the rhythmic chirping as the system waited for the response from the other end, and decided to cancel the connection. Just as he was about to click on the stop button, the chirping stopped, and then the image of Jim Steiner and Mary typing at a keyboard appeared on the screen in front of him.

"Hello Mr. Steiner. So good to see you again." Preston said in a jovial tone.

The conference room went deadly silent when they heard Preston's voice. Before connecting the line, Mr. Steiner made sure that only he and Mary could be seen by the camera. Everyone else positioned themselves so they were out of the camera's field of view, but could still see the monitor from where they were.

Robert had moved his chair back away from the table against the wall. Sam sat beside him in her chair. She had been unknowingly biting down on her finger hoping the person on the other end of the line would have good news for the group. When she heard Preston's voice and accent, she immediately froze. The memory of being strapped to the table and hearing him describe her rape sent chills down her spine. Her whole body shook, not with fear, but with anger.

She looked up at the image on the screen. Filled with distain, she gripped the armrests of her chair and squeezed as she pictured her hands around his chubby neck. No longer was she going to be withdrawn by what was done to her. No longer was she going to fear this twerp of a man. Her sole mission now was to have Preston pay for what he had done to her, and what he was doing to Mike and the others.

Robert noticed Sam's reaction. He reached over and put his right hand on top of her left hand. He then leaned close and spoke softly in her ear. "Don't let this creep get to you Sam. Mike will need you more than ever now."

Mr. Steiner resented the casual tone in Preston's voice. His anger towards Preston peaked, but he did not let it show. He smiled coolly at the monitor in front of him

"Hello Preston. What have you done?" He said dryly.

"Well, I had an unnerving conversation with Glenn a little earlier today, and, well, maybe I overreacted a bit."

Hearing there was an earlier conversation was news to Mr. Steiner, and he had difficulty restraining himself from glaring at Glenn. Realizing Preston was attempting to provoke him, he resisted looking over at Glenn and remained focused on the monitor in front of him.

"Overreaction you say?" Mr. Steiner surprised himself by how calm his voice was. "I think an overreaction is when you scream when you see a spider, not high jacking the L4 and jeopardizing all of the lives on board."

"Yea, well we can disagree about the definition of overreaction, but our discussion should be about where we go from here," Preston said as he leaned back in his seat and put his feet up. The view of Preston on the screen was a bit bizarre. As a mechanical pencil floated by his head, he sat relaxed with his hands folded behind his head and his feet wiggling on the desktop.

"Okay Preston, so where do we go from here?" Mr. Steiner sat back in his chair as well.

"Okay. Well, in a situation like this, it is always best to take baby steps. So, let's start by getting the Detective that visited Glenn this morning. Do you think you'll be able to fit him into that conference room with all of those people in there now?"

Mr. Steiner could see he was fishing. He refused to byte. "Detective? What Detective?" Mr. Steiner knew about the Detective, but wanted to stall Preston for as long as possible.

Preston quickly removed his feet off the desktop and moved closer to the screen. His smiling face filled the entire screen. "Why don't you talk to Glenn about that?" Then he closed the link and his image disappeared from the screen.

Mr. Steiner immediately looked over at Mary. She typed a few keys while looking at the messages that scrolled up the monitor in front of them. "We still have a connection," she said nervously. "It appears he merely muted his end. I can try to reestablish if you like?"

Mr. Steiner grabbed her wrist. "Not yet. Keep it closed. He knows it will take time to get the Detective here. So let's take some time."

He looked over to Glenn. "Tell Alice to call the Detective, and have him come in immediately."

Glenn was shocked. "What? You can't be serious. You are going to take the words of a madman and waste our time with this?"

"Glenn, go ask Alice to contact the Detective, and have him come back to the office." Mr. Steiner voice was forceful. It sounded like he was telling a ten-year-old what to do.

As Glenn got up to leave the office, Mr. Steiner addressed the room. "Alright people, what are our options?"

Sam got up from her chair. "Han's, the Comms link to L4 is still open, what can your people do with that connection?"

As the conversations started to buzz around the room, Robert rationalized that all of this was going to take too long. He settled back in his chair. He thought about standing beside Mike again, and then the white flash occurred. The collection of lights that were around him flew away quickly, and in a few seconds, he was standing next to Mike's orange image. This time though, it looked like Mike was lying on his stomach. Robert reached out and touched the shoulder of Mike's image. He was instantly in Mike's moment, watching him float above his seat as he tried to type on the keyboard.

Robert could not help but smile at the sight of Mike trying to type while floating at the same time. Robert studied the monitor's screen. Mike was looking in the area of the bulkhead, but it was obvious he was not making the connection of the missing hydraulic lines.

"Pipes!" Robert yelled in Mike's ear, but still Mike did not respond. "Hydraulics, damn it!" Still no response.

There had to be a way to get Mike to think about the hydraulic lines. That was it! Maybe he needed to think about the discussion he and Mike had in their cubical about moving the hydraulic lines. Leaving Mike's moment, he thought about that memory and quickly moved through the Hall back to that moment in their cubical.

He walked through the memory and watched Mike's end of the conversation. It aggravated him that he still could not see his own image or memory streak. He went through Mike's memory several times, trying to memorize the conversation. Remembering to step out of Mike's stream, he raced along it back to the present time.

Touching Mike's image again, he noticed Mike was back to looking at the 3D images the screen. Robert started to repeat the conversation aloud to Mike, but Mike did not appear to be swayed by his efforts. He remembered how he was able to save Sam from being hit by a car, and how he was able to influence her subconscious mind. He knew he needed Mike's subconscious to know he was there. He placed his left hand on Mike's right shoulder and continued to repeat what was said when they discussed moving the hydraulics.

Mike had been looking at these 3D views for close to an hour, but could not detect any possible way to get through to the other side. Robert had designed the bulkhead, but he reviewed the drawing and approved them. He really wished Robert were there with him to bounce ideas off of him. "Robert was smart about this stuff," he quietly said to himself. "He would know what to do".

"Yes, yes. I know what to do!" Robert responded. He could sense and hear what Mike was saying, but didn't know how to send a signal back. In desperation, he started to repeat the conversation again, while tapping his finger on the lower right corner of monitor where the hydraulic pipes were. Mike obviously has Robert on his mind, so maybe Mike's subconscious was starting to let him in.

"Damn, we should have put doors in." Mike said as he stared at the middle of the wall. Then he saw a blip out of the corner of his eye near the lower right section of the drawing near the pipe chase. "Wait a minute, we didn't have to. A man could fit through the pipe chases."

Robert got excite as hope rushed through him. Happiness swelled in him, and he felt closer to Mike.

"Wait a minute," Mike said as his heart skipped a beat. "Over in section B we didn't have to put doors in because there was enough room in the chases."

He quickly brought up the drawing of a bulkhead in section B, and studied the chase area. He took notice that there were not as many pipes as there were in the 3D view. He went back to the 3D view.

"Yes Mike! You got it!" Robert was ecstatic. He could barely contain himself.

Mike zoomed in on the chase section, and started clicking on the pipes that were in this view but not in the drawing. He saw they were hydraulic line.

"Hey, now wait a minute just a minute. We moved the hydraulic lines. Shit! These 3Ds are old."

Robert could not hold back. He wrapped his arms around Mike as if to give him a hug. When he did so, he felt an incredible releasing sensation; like being let go from a huge vacuum cleaner. He then could sense everything about Mike. The clarity was unbelievable. He could tell he was hungry since he had not eaten, and that lateral tendon in his right knee was sore from the basketball game he had played a few days ago. The feelings and the sensations were exhilarating.

Sam was standing at the end of the table, blocking the view of Robert from everyone else in the room. They were unaware that he had settled into a comfortable position, and reentered his dream state. Engaged in different conversations, no one had noticed that after several minutes, Robert's body went limp, and slid down a little in his chair.

Chapter 60

Mike knew what he had to do. He pushed away from the console, and headed toward the access panel in the floor that led to level below the room. He pushed off a little too hard, and found himself floating against the ceiling. Using the ceiling, he navigated himself to the access panel. With his feet, he used a squatting action to slowly push himself towards the floor. He grabbed the release latch on the panel, and then opened the panel.

Robert could feel and sense everything that was going on. As Mike entered the hatch to get to the lower level, Robert began to feel a shaking sensation on his left shoulder. Uncertain of what to do, he decided to return to the conference room knowing that Mike was on the right track. He thought about the white light again, but this time it happened much slower. He felt the sucking sensation first, and then the popping sensation occurred.

Sam felt Robert's knees touch the back of her legs. Annoyed by his push against her, she turned around to see what he was doing. She gasped when she saw Robert's lifeless body sliding down in the chair. Before she could say anything, Robert woke up suddenly with a jolt. Grabbing onto the arms of the chair to keep himself from sliding any further, he struggled to bring his breathing under control as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you alright? What's the matter?" Sam said moving quickly to help him back into the chair.

"I am okay." He said waving her off. In reality though, he was scared. The last time he awoke like this was on his bed after the bad experience he had had in the Hall. Allowing Sam to help him to his feet, he waved her off a little as he made his way to the table. He took a deep breath, and looked over at Mr. Steiner. He was surprised to see that Mr. Steiner was not as alarmed as everyone else by Sam's sudden outburst.

Robert cleared his throat. "Okay, Mike found the error in the 3D views. He is on his way to go through the pipe chase."

Everyone let out a roar as they cheered the good news. Sam beamed with pride knowing if anyone could save the day it would be Mike.

"Okay everyone, let's settle down." Mr. Steiner said as he rose from his seat. "There are still a lot of obstacles ahead of us. General, what is your assessment?"

It has been a while since the General had said anything, but Mr. Steiner had confidence in the General's ability to assess a changing situation and develop a plan. The two had worked closely with one another over the years, and Mr. Steiner knew the value the General could bring to resolve an issue.

"Well Jim, there is one big problem. This Mike guy is going into a situation blind, not knowing what to expect. He is also not trained to deal with such a situation."

The joy was quickly sucked out of the room, and a deafening hush came over it again. Sam was the first to speak.

She looked over to Hans who was now back on the monitor again, and asked. "Hans, what has to be done?"

"He would need to reestablish the connection to Mission Control."

"What has to be done to do that?" She said again annoyed she would have to ask a person of his caliper to answer a simple question.

"Well, on the Communication Console there is a small window that remains in the foreground as long as the link is broken. Clicking the 'OK' button will initiate the process. It would take about twenty seconds for us to receive the signal. The response is quick, but takes another twenty seconds to get back to L4. The response has already been programmed and it is the command to override the resident systems. So after the OK button is pressed, we will have full control of L4 in about 45 seconds."

Nothing was said when Hans had finished. Everyone pondered how they were going to get Mike to understand he would need to click on the 'OK' button?

Glenn cleared his throat. He had reentered the room after speaking with Alice, but remained at the doorway away from his father. He spoke up, his voice sounding loud in the quiet room.

"It is likely that the Communication Console is shut down. So we should assume that it is."

"Very true," Hans said. "However, Preston is probably emulating it on his console, so it would be prominently displayed on the screen that Preston is sitting at."

"Son," General was looking directly at Robert, "Is there any way to get these instructions to Mike?"

Robert swallowed hard. "Oh, I don't know." he said as he sat back down into his chair.

"Listen," Mr. Steiner said, "we will be able to see Mike coming up behind Preston through the camera on the monitor. He just needs to be quiet as he does that. I can say something, maybe ask Preston to click on the OK button as a way of telling Mike."

Robert just shook his head yes.

"Son, you need to help him do this," the General said in a stern way.

Mr. Steiner leaped up from his chair, "Robert, it needs to be his idea."

Nearly everyone in the room looked at Mr. Steiner oddly. But Robert knew what he meant. It had to be Mike's choice. He could not interfere with Mike's free will. How did Mr. Steiner know all of this? Why are both Mr. Steiner and the General not surprised by everything Robert has done? He remembered Saria telling him that there were others like him. If Mr. Steiner is just like him, why isn't he in the Hall helping him? Robert saw his knowledge level is a yellow, but began to question the sincerity of Mr. Steiner.

Robert began to get suspicious. Both Mr. Steiner and the General knew what was going on, but wouldn't get any further involved to help him. Sam distracted him from his thoughts as she lightly grabbed his arm.

"Robbie, don't let anything happen to Mike," she said to him lightly so no one could hear her.

The intensity of his friendship with Mike and Sam flooded his thoughts. These were his best friends. He would do everything in his power to protect Mike.

"I won't. I'll keep Mike safe." He looked in her eyes as he felt her worries for Mike.

"Promise me." She said. "Promise me you'll keep both him and yourself safe."

"I promise," he said with a smile.

"Then the three of us can share that keg." A smile beamed across her face.

"Maybe it should be a barrel of whisky now," he said smiling back at her.

Robert returned to his chair and closed his eyes.

"Okay, everybody. Listen up." Mr. Steiner said loudly, breaking the tension in the room. "Get back to your positions away from the camera. Mary, reestablish contact."

Everyone shuffled around to get out of the view of the camera. Mary started the connection process. Glenn remained close to the door.

"I am going to try and bullshit him for as long as I can."

Robert found Mike having difficulty getting through the pipe Chase. Mike was not stuck, but it was slow going. The chase through the bulkhead was four feet long. He had his hands through the other end, and grabbed the far side of the bulkhead to pull himself through. He did his best to be quiet. He did not know what to expect in the MCC, so he did not want to give himself away.

Once he was through, he searched around for the access panel. The area he had entered was large, and mostly empty. There was very little light. Only a few low wattage bulbs that hung from the ceiling were on. Pipes and conduit ran along the ceiling, and the larger pipes ran along the floor making their way to the next chase. From the 3D models, he knew an access panel would be located somewhere above his head. There was no light in this section of the room, so it made it difficult to see anything let alone a small panel in the ceiling.

From the layout of the Main Control Center, the panel he was looking for opened into the right wing of the room. The wing itself was about ten feet square, and there was similar wing at the other end of the room. The large open space between the wings, had consoles set up as stations, and all of those consoles faced a wall of monitors. He did not know if anyone would be in the wing he would be entering, but it was a chance he had to take.

When he returned, Robert had entered Mike's moment, and could only see the things Mike saw. He was aware of what Mike was doing, and was satisfied in his progress so far. There was really nothing Robert could do, nor did he know what he was going to do. He was sure though, that he would have to do something since Mike had no idea what he was walking into.

Floating around, made it difficult for Mike. He found the access panel rather quickly, but had a little difficulty undoing the latch. The combination of no gravity, nothing to grab to leverage his strength, and trying to be quiet made opening the access panel a slow and tedious process.

Chapter 61

Robert watched as Mike successfully unlocked the latch. However, Mike did not open the hatch. Instead, he pushed himself away from the hatch and looked back down at the pipe chase.

"No, no no. Come on Mike, don't stop now." Robert said to himself, but Mike continued to push away from the Hatch.

"Stop damn it." Robert realized Mike was afraid of what he was getting into. So he would needed to instill some confidence in Mike somehow. He thought about how Mike had charged into the warehouse that evening to save Sam. As the emotion swelled in him, he quickly moved towards Mike and grabbed him in a bear hug as he did before. Robert felt that odd suction feeling for a moment before he was able to sense everything about Mike. He immediately started repeating to himself, "You can do this. Just take a peek."

The sound of the chirping continued in the Conference Room as everyone waited for Preston to connect at the other end. Everyone was quiet, and remained focused on the blank monitor. Sam was sitting next to Robert, but had moved forward in her seat to view the monitor better. She was no longer scared of Preston, but angry. In her eyes, this 'dirtball' has harmed a lot of people, and Mike was hopefully going to stop him.

Everyone was getting tire of the chirping. Even Sam put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. Suddenly, she felt Robert brush against her, and then fall to the floor.

"Oh my God! What's happened?" She said aloud breaking the silence in the room. "Oh my God, Robbie," she said a little softer.

She immediately got up from her chair, and looked down at Robert who was unconscious at her feet lying on his side. She immediately bent over and moved him so that he was on his back. He made no sound. She saw that he was not breathing. Carl was closest to them, and got up to help her.

"He's not breathing! Someone help me! Please!" She said in a panic. She cradled Robert's head in her hands, not knowing what to do. She had taken some courses in medical trauma situation because of all the outdoor sports she was involved in, but suddenly all she had learned had escaped her.

"Samantha," a gentle voice came from over the table. Sam looked up to find everyone standing trying to get a look at Robert on the floor, except Mr. Steiner who was looking straight at her.

Mr. Steiner spoke again with a gentle smile. "Samantha, he's going to be okay. He's not dead, he's still breathing. Everything is going to be fine."

Sam was confused. She slowly put Robert's head back on the floor and watched to see if he was breathing. Around her, she could hear Mr. Steiner getting order back in the room. Sam studied Robert's chest and saw that it was moving slightly. A little relived, she settled back a little but still kept an eye on him. The commotion in the room had settled down and the sound of the connection going through to Preston could be heard.

Mike found he was scared to open the hatch. His heart began to pound hard in his chest. He was afraid someone on the other side of the hatch could hear it. "What if Soldiers were up there pointing guns at the hatch," he quietly thought to himself. He wished he had a way to see into the room. "Maybe if I went back to the Auxiliary Control room, there would be a way to connect to one of the cameras," he thought to himself. He pushed himself away from the hatch towards the pipe chase he had just come through. As he drifted down, he knew deep down inside he was making a mistake.

It was a struggle of mind over gut. He began to feel a little more confidence. "Nah, I got to go with my gut on this one. I spent hours in that room and couldn't see anything," he said to himself aloud.

Tired of being alone, he pretended his friend Robert was there to help him. "Maybe if I crack the hatch a little bit, it won't make too much noise. Then I'll be able to look around a bit. What do ya think Buddy?"

By this point, he had floated all the way down to the floor, so he gave a subtle push off the floor back up to the hatch. He grabbed onto the latching mechanism around the frame of the hatch, and with his head on the hatch, he pushed against it. Surprisingly, the hatch moved easily without making a sound. Mike was relieved that the new hatch moved smoothly and silently.

His head was above the floor level of the Main Conference room. He was relieved to see there was no one there around him. Turning himself around, he quietly opened the hatch all the way, until it sat back in its resting position. Mike pushed off the frame of the hatch and floated to the ceiling of the room. He turned himself around so he could view the room.

The main wall of the room went down along his right side and ended in the other wing that matched the one he was in. This wall was filled with large flat monitors, but none of them where on. Looking out away from the wall, there were consoles arranged in isles formed into arcs that permitted anyone who sat at the console to view any of the screens. The rows of consoles rose up in tiers, so that the each row behind could see over the row in front of it. There were four rows.

Though Mike could not see anyone else in the room, he felt anxious. He felt someone was in the room with him, so he decided to keep himself perfectly quite until he was certain no one else was there. Using the grating of the light fixtures, he slowly pulled himself towards the main body of the room. He was grateful that most of the lights were off, and only a few were kept on because of the emergency status.

As he moved left out of the wing, he stayed close the wall, and felt his way left as he continued to look out over the room. As he scanned the room, a small red ball floated by his face, about 12 inches away. Curious about the red dot, he looked down to his left.

Further up along the wall floated two dead soldiers; balls of blood floated in the air around them. Startle by the sight, he began to breathe hard, trying his best not to make a sound. He passed the bodies by, giving them plenty of room. As he made his way to the back wall, he looked past the entrance to the room to the far side. That's when he saw a flashing monitor on the console along the far wall of the room; the console where Preston always sat. There was a chair positioned in front of the monitor blocking most of its view, but Mike could make out the crown of a head over top of the chair.

Hoping Preston was still alive, he slowly started to make his way toward him.

"Alright! Alright! I'll answer the bloody call!" Preston's voice echoed loudly in the empty room.

Mike stopped dead directly in front the entrance way. The back of the head in the chair came into full view, and the blinking on the screen stop. The brightness of the screen dimmed a bit, but Mike could not make out what was on the screen.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" Came Preston's voice in an agitated manner. Having spoken to Sam several times over the video link, Mike knew to wait for the response.

"We have done what you have asked. The Detective is on his way to the office." Responded a familiar voice to Mike. He could not place who was speaking, the mechanical tone of the voice through the speakers made it difficult. He decided to slowly move forward to get a better view.

Preston squirmed in his seat a little. "On his way? How long will it take for him to get there?" He leaned forward a little so he could change his position in his chair.

Mr. Steiner was happy at the response Preston had given. This opened up a chance to start a conversation. Meanwhile, Mary was doing everything she could to change the settings on the screen to lighten the background behind Preston. In doing so, she washed-out Preston's face. Mr. Steiner did not care. He was more interested in what was going on behind Preston.

"Listen Preston, we're getting into rush hour time here, and he is all the way over at the Precinct. We told him it was urgent, so I am certain he will be here shortly." Mr. Steiner kept his voice cool and businesslike, but he wanted to project confidence, and that he was doing whatever was necessary. Then he caught a glimpse of something moving against the ceiling, and couldn't help but react to what he saw.

The sensations for Robert were far different now. Not only was he able to observe all of Mike's senses as he had when he was in his moment, but now he could pick up on Mikes thoughts and anticipations. It was like being inside Mike, only better. He could sense different thing about Mike's body; an itch, the feel of the light grills as he pulled himself along the ceiling. He could also pick up thoughts Mike was having. These sensations where far different then just reading past memories.

Robert listened to Preston's conversation with Mr. Steiner. He knew what the objective was, and he started focusing on an 'OK' button in his thoughts. He needed to convey the idea of clicking on the button, but without forcing Mike to do it. In a few other instances, Mike noticed Robert's thoughts, and Robert was hoping the same would happen. He was sure all this would work, and sure wished Saria were here to help him. Unfortunately, he was on his own hoping he wouldn't break any rules.

Mike had positioned himself above Preston, and now Robert got a full look at the monitor. He saw the box on the screen, and focused on the 'OK' button. He pictured himself reaching over to move the mouse and click on the button. He now felt Mike getting anxious after hearing Mr. Steiner explain the purpose of the 'OK' button to Preston.

"Well, I do appreciate the update. So, please be sure to contact me again when he arrives." Preston moved back in his seat, ready to disconnect but saw Mr. Steiner's reaction. He continued, "Is there anything else, Mr. Steiner?" He studied the faces on the monitor in front of him.

"Yes." Mr. Steiner replied. "Listen, we are doing everything you had asked, and I assure you, I have a good idea what this is all about. Why don't you just click on that 'OK' button on your screen and reestablish the connection to Earth. I promise, things will not end as poorly as you believe."

Chapter 62

Mike was shocked when he heard and saw Mr. Steiner on the monitor. He also saw the box in the screen, outlined in green, with the 'OK' button flashing in the center of it. He now knew in his heart what he must do. He needed to push that button and get Preston away from the console.

Preston leaned back in his seat and laughed aloud. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "Do you take me as a fool Mr. Steiner?" Looking back at the screen he said, "Don't call me until the Detective..." Then he saw an unusual glare in the screen, like something moved behind him. He rolled his head back to look behind him.

Mike knew his opportunity had come. As Preston leaned back in his chair, Mike positioned his body so his foot was against the rail of the ceiling tile and a light fixture. As Preston looked up, Mike rammed his foot against the rail making himself shoot forward towards Preston. He saw Preston try to get up from the chair, but be pulled back down again. In doing so, Preston's chair spun counterclockwise, and Mike's hand collided with the left side of Preston's face.

Mike's momentum drove him past Preston and he collided into the back panel of the console. His body kicked to the left away from Preston, but fortunately, his left foot landed in the back of the seat beside Preston. Lying on the console with the back of his head against a monitor, and his foot in the chair, Mike saw a gun slowly begin to float away from the deck of the console he had just crashed into.

Preston saw Mike making his move and tried to respond, the belt around his legs forced him back in his seat. The momentum spun him around as Mike crashed into the console beside him. He noticed the gun start to float away, so he feverishly unbuckled the belts around his legs. Lunging for the gun, Mike grabbed his wrist and went for the gun as well. Unfortunately, Mike hit the gun rather than catching it, and it spun off to the center of the room.

"What are you doing here?" A voice boomed all around Robert. He thought it was Preston when he looked back over the chair, but this voice was deep yet very familiar. He felt the sucking sensation again, and then everything around him spun

Robert was disoriented. Leviathan had him in the familiar grip with his right hand around Robert's throat, and the other pinned Robert's right arm behind his back.

"Oh, this is so easy. You are too naive to be here," Leviathan said with a large grin.

Robert was confused. He did not know what had happened but he was in Leviathan's grip as he watched the battle between Mike and Preston over Leviathan's shoulder. Preston made a move towards Mike, and then a gun slowly went floating through Leviathan's head out towards the middle of the room.

Leviathan watched it fly by. "Pity," he said. Now, Preston will have to use his hands to kill Mike."

Robert tried to shake loose, but found himself to be weaker than he expected. Feeling his strength waning, Robert thought of the white light, but nothing happened. A shocked look came across his face.

"Ooh, what's the matter? Has your light gone out?" Leviathan said with a laugh.

Robert panicked, and he could feel Leviathan reveling in the situation. He refused to respond to Leviathan's taunts. He just stared him in the eye.

"You see," Leviathan said, "you gave up the possession of your body when you decided to possess Mike's. Now you can't run away. You're stuck here, with me."

Robert looked over to Mike, the battle continued as they both spun wildly about the console area fighting each other and the weightlessness. Robert thought he could jump back into Mike if he could get close enough.

"Nah, ah, ah." Leviathan pulled him close. "Even if you could jump back into Mike, I would just get you again. Mike will soon lose this battle, and you will lose yours." He laughed in Robert's face.

Robert tried to struggle again, but it was useless. Over Leviathan's shoulder, he could see Mike had broken free of Preston's grip. Fortunately, he had pushed away from Preston, sending Preston backwards into the room as Mike headed towards the console where Preston had been sitting. When he reached it, Robert watched as Mike spun himself around, grabbed the mouse and clicked on the 'OK' button. The screen went white.

Robert smiled and looked at Leviathan. "I think your trip just got cut short."

Everyone in the Conference Room cheered with relief when they saw Mike go after Preston, and then the only thing they saw was a gun float off into the room. They all knew there was a twenty-second delay, and they were roaring with anticipation that Mike would come back to the screen triumphant. But impatience grew as Mary struggle to readjust their screen. The view was set at the L4 end, but she had change a lot of the screen settings to see into the darkness behind Preston.

From where the view was set, they could see bits and pieces of the battle. A leg would flash by followed by a hand. Both men spun widely out of control until Mike came floating into view, and spun himself around to look at the camera. They could see he was looking at something. He then smiled, looked into the camera and winked.

The Conference room erupted into a roared as he floated out view back towards Preston. Sam let out a joyful scream.

Hans' voice boomed over the roar in the room. "We have the request for the connection, and... the command has been sent."

The room went crazy, Mary focused on the monitor as Glenn reached over to Ben to share a high-five. Even the General let out a roar of satisfaction.

Sam was paralyzed. She stood to see the monitor when Michael came into view. Now she couldn't move a muscle. Her hands were clasped together, held tight to her mouth as she watched the fight. But when she saw Mike wink, she knew it was for her. All she could do was cry with tears of joy. Anita grabbed her to give her a hug.

"What? What do you mean?" Leviathan said spinning around to see Mike push away from the screen. In large letters it said, 'REQUEST FOR CONNECTION SENT'.

He continued to hold Robert as he saw Preston try to fight off Mike. Mike was being successful in slowing Preston down. Mike pulled a wrestling move he had learned in high school to maneuver himself around to the back of Preston and wrapped him in a headlock. Both floated towards the monitor again. Preston struggled to get to the keyboard to break the connection, but Mike positioned his foot on the console's desktop to keep Preston from it.

"No!" Boomed Leviathan, and he let lose his grip on Robert. "No, you stupid Bastard!" Leviathan screamed. "Kill that Mother Fucker! Kill him." He roared as Robert watched Leviathan jump into Preston's figure. The monitor flashed, then the word 'CONNECTION MADE. RUNNING INSTRUCTION'.

"Wooo hooo!" Robert Roared.

Then, as if watching a slow motion camera, Robert saw Preston grab a mechanical pencil that was floating by and jammed into the right side of Mike's head, through his temple.

Robert froze. An orange figure appeared next to Mike, and reached out to touch him.

"No! No!" Robert screamed as he watched the touch. The white light spread out from Mike's figure and his Spirit vanished. Before the white light could flow over Robert, he closed his eyes and wished himself back in his own body. With a flash of white light, he left the Hall.

Chapter 63

With a loud scream, Robert awoke on the floor. "No! No! Oh my God no!" Robert screamed as he crabbed crawled his way past his chair back to the wall. He was shaking uncontrollably. He started to cry as he saw the image of the pencil enter Mike's head again in his mind.

People in the room were engrossed in the events playing out on the screen. Mary, Anita, and Sam were startled by Robert's screaming and turned to look at him.

Mary focused on Sam. "What's going on?"

Sam was shocked herself, and did not know what to do. She moved towards Robert, but then someone screamed, "Look, Mike got him wrapped up!" Sam could see Robert was in shock, but had to look away towards the monitor.

Preston floated into view, and everyone could see his face flair with anger. Mike was cling to Preston's back with his arms around Preston's neck and chest. A lone foot of Mike's pressed against the console's desktop while Preston struggled with the chair to bring himself close to the monitor.

In the background they heard Hans say, "Connection made! We have control!"

They roared louder than before, cheering Mike as he held his grip on Preston. No one noticed the pencil until Preston reached for it. As soon as he grabbed it, Sam knew. She stepped forward, but ran into the table. She felt herself scream and she saw the pencil enter the side of Mike's head, but she didn't hear a sound.

Mike's eyes rolled back a little, but then went to a blank stare. The room went quiet. Sam watched Mike's eyes and could see the life leave his body. She knew she was screaming but she could not hear herself.

Sam spun and looked at Robert sitting against the wall, with his knees tightly against his chest, and his hands over his head clutching his hair. He was rocking back and forth slightly. Sam continued to scream and she approached Robert.

"You promised! You promised!" She hit down hard on Robert's hands and head. "You promised you would keep him safe!"

She continued to hit him as Carl who was standing near her grabbed her. As he tried to pull her away, she kicked at Robert. "I hate you! I hate you, you freak! God damn you. You promised!"

With great difficulty, Carl was able to remove Sam from the room. The only sound that could be heard was a slight whimpering from Robert as he continued to repeat. "I tried."

Anita moved quickly over to Robert. She squat down, and began to console him. "We know dear. We all know you did."

Mr. Steiner was clearly upset with the loss of Mike. Glenn's anger swelled. His father always showed more emotion to Mike than to him. He was glad the asshole was finally gone. No longer would he need to be compared to that prick. He smiled to himself as he refocused on the room around him. He quickly removed the smile from his face when he saw his father looking at him.

"Why don't you return to your office?" Glenn's father said in a stern tone. "We have much to talk about. I'll be in shortly."

With indifference, Glenn left the room.

"Hans!" Mr. Steiner said loudly to get everyone's attention and quiet the room. "Are things under control?"

"Yes, sir." Hans replied proudly. "We have already changed course, closed all the airlocks, and started the spin to bring up the gravity again. We informed everyone on board the doors will remain locked until pressure and oxygen have been restored, and gravity is at ninety percent."

"Good." Mr. Steiner replied.

"Yes, this will give us time to prepare them for what they should expect to see."

"Okay, let's be gentle." Mr. Steiner then closed Hans' connection. Then he addressed the room. "Okay everyone, let's all take a break. I need the room. That includes you General."

As people left the room, Mr. Steiner walked over to Anita and Robert. Lightly touching Anita's shoulder, he spoke quietly to her. "Anita you have been outstanding today, and thank you for tending to Robert."

When she looked at him, she was in tears. "Thank you Sir, I wish I could have done more."

"We all wish we could have done more. Why don't you catch up to the others? I'll take care of Robert."

He waited for Anita to leave the room, and looked down at Robert. Robert had settled down and was staring at the empty carpet in front of him. Mr. Steiner squatted down to look into Robert's eyes.

"Come on Robert. Time to get up."

"Why didn't you do more? You're just like me. You probably know more than I do. I am lost in the Hall. I don't know what I am doing." Robert voice began to rise with anger.

"Robert. I am not like you at all. There was nothing I could have done to help you. You have a special gift Robert..."

Robert glared into Mr. Steiner eyes. "I don't want to be fucking special!" Then he quickly got up and left the room.

The End.

Epilogue

Robert found himself sitting on the wall in front of Raythian. It was early evening, and the rush hour traffic made enough noise to be the perfect distraction for his thoughts. The cool evening air felt good as it brushed against his skin. Many things, like a cool breeze, were missing in the Hall: he hated going there, and he never wanted to go back. Because of the Hall, he has lost his friends. Mike was dead and Sam hated his guts.

With his world in turmoil, he knew he would have to move on. He would not be able to remain in this area. He knew he was a freak of nature. Someone to feared, someone to avoid. People would not come near him once they discovered what he capable of doing. He was truly a loner now, and if anyone knew of what he could access, they would never trust him.

He never wanted to hurt anybody, and yet he hurt everyone he loved. He was convinced that it was because of him that Leviathan came into his friends' lives. Maybe Saria and the others were part of the trap. After all, she did little to help him in the Hall, and was never there when he needed her the most. He had now come to the resolution that it would be best if he were not around other people; maybe not even around at all. If all he would do is bring pain and destruction, then he didn't want to be.

Robert looked to his right down the street and watched as the sun began to sink below the buildings. To everyone out here that didn't know him, nothing had changed. But for those he has spent the last five years of his life with, everything has changed. Another cool breeze blew, and he turned to his left to face it head on. He then noticed that beside him on the wall sat a young man dressed in blue jeans, t-shirt, and a light beige jacket.

"Hello Robert," The man said. His piercing gray eyes had a warm glow to them. He had long wavy brown hair and an olive complexion. He looked to be in his late thirties, early forties, and tapped the heels of his sneakers against the wall as he spoke.

Robert was not scared by the appearance of the stranger, in fact somehow he felt he was there before he turned his head. He really didn't care. After what just happened, what other possible thing could make this day any worse.

"Yea. Hi." Robert said simply. "I guess you are Saria's friend?"

A small smile came across his face, "Yes, I am."

"Great." Robert said looking away. "I am not buying, so you can leave now." He hoped the man would leave as quietly as he appeared.

"Robert, I understand your anger and disappointment. Please believe me when I tell you I am not here to placate your feelings about what happened earlier. You should know though, what you did this afternoon went far beyond what any of us expected."

Robert felt the anger build within him. Looking back at the man, he took a long breath to calm himself down. "Really? Are you kidding me? I've lost my best friend, another close friend hates me because I failed her, and all of my co-workers will now know that I am some kind of freak!"

Robert turned away from the man and mumbled to himself, "My life sucks. Just go away, and leave me alone." He pushed himself off the wall, and began walking away from the man. However, the man quickly followed and put his hand on Robert's right shoulder.

"Listen," he said as he tugged on Robert's shoulder turning him around, "you of all people should know nothing goes as planned. Mike's death was not in vain. Many souls were saved by his actions, and Leviathan's plan was completely foiled. Your fixation on yourself belittles the sacrifice he made."

Robert made a move to turn away, but the man held him tight.

"The loss of Sam's respect is bitter after all you have done. However, have you ever taken a moment to consider what she is going through? The trauma she has experienced in the last couple of weeks? Have you considered that the one person she was relying on to repair her life was taken from her, before her very eyes?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders to break the man's grip. It was obvious the man was not going away, so he returned to the wall and leaned against it. He was well aware of what she was going through, but no one knew what he was going through. No one knows the loneliness he's endured to keep from being ridiculed.

"Why should I mourn for her? Who's going to mourn for me?" Robert folded his arms across his chest. The anger he felt was replaced by a flood of despair, and it was hard for him to hold back his tears of frustration.

"There are too many to name who mourn for you. The very people you are afraid to face." The man said as he gestured to the building. "Most don't understand what really happened, but Mr. Steiner will discretely explained to those who were there the important role you played, and will asked for their confidence in the matter."

Robert shot the man a look, but the man continued. "It may take some time before Sam will understand what truly happened, but I assure you Mike cares deeply for you, and prays that you'll let this anger go."

Robert stood up and faced the man. "How dare you bring Mike into this!" His voice was low but forceful.

"What, you don't think Mike saw you there? You don't think he recognized your anguish? Or the embarrassment you felt when you thought you let him down. If he could have embraced you, he would have. If he could speak to you now, he would. But he can't, that is why I am here."

"Of course." Robert said with a flap of the arms and settling back against the wall again.

"It is because of him that I am here," the man said. "Listen Robert, you have been at this point of anger and despair with yourself once before. The dark hole you are staring down had proven then to be most uninviting. I can't force you to do the right thing, but this time I am here to assure you there are alternatives that will be far more rewarding."

"Oh, yea. Now I know you are a friend of Saria's. You have the gift of senseless talk as well." Robert said as a smile came across his face. He remembered some of the things Saria had said to him.

Seeing Robert smile brought a smile to the man's face. "I am sorry I had to hold your memories back from you. I know it doesn't seem fair to be left in the dark, but please believe me when I tell you, it was necessary. I'm sorry."

Robert stood up and took a step back away from the man. All the while he thought he was speaking the Reme, but now it has dawned on him to whom he was speaking. He straightened himself, and tried to show more respect.

"It was because of my love for you that I did it. You are smarter than you know, and your instincts have proven to be exceptional. You are a very old soul, and if you had used the memories from your past sojourns to make judgments on your decisions these past couple of weeks, I believe the outcome would have been far different."

"What do you mean different? Different better or different worse?"

"It is hard to say for sure, but I believe different worse. There are so many variables that can affect an outcome, but I am certain the likelihood that Leviathan's spirit would still be trapped on this side of the veil is remote, if you had not reacted on your instincts.

"He knows me, doesn't he? We have met before."

"Yes. He taunts you. He knows your weakness."

"My weakness? What is my weakness?"

"Why it's that you are the generation of the Son of Man. It is true that your generation is smarter than the previous generation, but you have a greater weakness." the man said as he studied Robert.

Robert held his hands out with his palms up waiting for the answer.

"It is because of your mind works in union with your heart," he said as he put his right hand to Robert's chest over his heart.

A warmth covered Robert's body as he felt the palm against his chest. Memories from long along flooded back. Memories of the cool night like this one. The love he had, and the betrayal and guilt he felt. The result of a wrong assumption on his part, which resulted in the death of his closest most loved friend.

"It is this wonderful combination of both your heart and mind, which makes your generation so caring for others, so selfless. That is a true showing of love. The generation of the sons of Light cannot operate at that level. Their decisions are well thought out and self-preserving. That is why they come across as selfish".

"You are Jesus?" Robert said slowly.

A big smile came across the man's face. "I have been called many names in my travels to this wonderful place."

"I remember now," Robert said. "Yes, the pain can be too hard to bear at times. I remember now, I took my own life and paid dearly for it."

"Yes. You did. There was nothing I could do. You reacted too quickly. You did not give me the opportunity to forgive you. So I am taking the opportunity now to not only forgive you, but to tell you how proud I am of what you had overcome and have become."

Robert could feel himself shaking. Memories began flooding back, but he had to fight them off to remain focused on the moment.

"So, we are still friends?" Robert said hesitantly.

"No Robert, we are great friends. And I am so glad to have you back." he said as he gave Robert a firm hug.

Robert cried with the release of his emotions. He began to remember details of that previous time, but was soon awakened by the shake of his shoulders.

"I am afraid that a bigger challenge awaits you now." The Light released his hold on Robert, and Robert felt his distant memories begin to fade. "Leviathan had made a bold move, and your unexpected efforts have altered his prospects dramatically."

Robert became confused and, was certain the look on his face showed it. Worry began to overtake him as he realized his current sojourn, and the responsibilities that were thrusted upon him were clearly not over. "What prospects? Who will he harm now?"

"His behavior will certainly be unpredictable now. This past encounter has taken its toll." The Light took a step towards Robert. "There are also those that support him that will come to his aid."

"I thought I was done with him. With all of this!" Robert waved his arms erratically as he spoke.

"That still remains to be a choice," the Light said looking at Robert questioningly. "But then again, there are many choices. And all of those choices have an impact on the people around you."

Robert suddenly felt exhausted. He wanted to run away, but he knew Leviathan would turn his focus on Sam. He had nothing to say, and only stared at the Light.

"Your next choice approaches you quickly," the Light said with a smile. "Cowardliness will always be an option, but I hope you realize that you are stronger than that." Then he quickly glanced over Robert's left shoulder with a nod back towards the building. "Of course, the other choices will have a little more challenge and risk."

Walking down the long pathway was the General who was in the Conference Room. Robert turned to his left to get a better look. The General was walking quickly, and signaled to Robert to wait for him. At that moment, Robert heard the screech of tires as a car came to a quick halt in the street twenty yards from him. He continued to turn to his left to find Mr. Steiner's limousine had pulled along the curb.

Robert looked back at the General who was now 100 yards away, and started cutting across the grass towards him. He glanced back over his left shoulder to find he was standing alone. The Light had turned away, and was walking down the sidewalk away from him.

"Robert!" Came a voice from the limousine. Robert looked over at the car to see Mr. Steiner with the door open. "Come on son, we have a lot to discuss. I am sure you have many questions."

Not knowing what to do, he glanced back to see the General about forty yards away and closing quickly. His hand was up signaling Robert to wait. Agreeing that either decision was a bad one, Robert turned to the lesser of two evils, and walked to the limousine.

383


End file.
